Tempest
by smittysgirl
Summary: Followup to "Another Time, Another Place" and "Aftershocks". Smitty and the Rangers find out there's a new villian in town.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Buena Vista owns NS and DT.  
  
Author's note: This story takes place in Another Time, Another Place continuity about 2 hours after ATAP and roughly 1 year following Aftershocks.  
  
The Tempest  
by Smittysgirl  
  
Everyone had piled into Dino Ops in their usual states of dress for 3 in the morning. This meant a room filled with wifebeaters, long shirts, and Cassidy's immaculately matched silk ensemble. Conner kept trying in vain to pull the oversized hospital gown over his Zeltrax armor closed in the back.  
  
"I'm sorry to call you all here on such short notice," Terrance said by way of apology. "We have some guests that require our undivided attention."  
  
Two people emerged from a side room and took seats next to Terrance and Hayley. The woman nodded to the assembled Rangers. "I'm Tori Hanson, I used to be the Blue Wind Ranger. This is Cam Watanabe, he used to be the Green Samurai Ranger."  
  
"I'm sorry we showed up the way we did, Ethan. You hadn't been responding to my letters, and I was concerned they might have already gotten to you," Cam said.  
  
"How did you even find me?" Ethan asked, dreading the answer that was to come.  
  
"I hacked your account and put all your information in a reverse search directory. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I suspected you were a Ranger for a while. You asked very pointed questions, questions I myself asked when I signed up."  
  
Trent shook his head. "Isn't there like some brotherhood of Rangers or something? Can't you guys just call on a favor from the Wildstorm guys before you?"  
  
"Wild Force." Cam sighed. "We never met them. We were the first team not to since the Turbo Rangers. Sometimes that troubles me a little. If there's a brotherhood, somebody vetoed our membership."  
  
Ethan smiled. "Still going on that the Space Rangers weren't the original MM-Rangers, huh?"  
  
"You're the only other Rangers we've ever met," Terrance chimed in. "Forgive us if we're being intrusive. We haven't had a lot to go on since getting the powers."  
  
"We were ... pretty much the same way," Tori said. "I mean, Cam looked, but, well ...."  
  
Cam nodded. "I know what it's like to be adrift at sea, believe me. That's why we need your help, we don't have anyone else to turn to."  
  
Conner leaned forward, having finally given up with keeping the robe over his armored body. "What happened, anyway?"  
  
"Lothor," Cam said grimly.

* * *

"Excellent job, class!" Shane called to his students as they filtered out of the testing grounds. "We'll be grading you on a variety of factors, not simply your prowess with your elemental abilities. Remember, the highest commitment a ninja can make is to their fellow human being. Class dismissed!"  
  
"Dude, that sounded almost happy," Dustin said, moving beside his fellow instructor.  
  
Shane smiled. "I suppose I am. I think I've found the right teaching methods to motivate them. I'm still rusty on teaching water discipline, of course."  
  
Dustin shrugged. "Hey, it's not like Sensei's going to blame you for Tori being gone."  
  
"It's not about blame, I just want them to have the most rounded education possible. It's like Hunter said, a ninja slaved to one discipline is a vulnerable ninja," Shane observed.  
  
Dustin nodded. "It's a bummer Tori left, though."  
  
"At least she's happy now." Shane snapped his fingers. "Speaking of which, have you heard from her lately?"  
  
"Not really," Dustin said. "It's like ... we might have been friends since preschool, but since I'm here and here is the Ninja Academy ...."  
  
"She's got her own life now, a life away from us. I guess that's to be expected," Shane sighed. Dustin nodded silently.  
  
"Excuse me," said a handsome - and strangely familiar - young Asian man in an earth discipline uniform. "I was sent here by the admissions desk? I'm looking for a Sensei Shane Clark and a Sensei Waldo Brooks." Dustin winced a little at his given name.  
  
"That would be us," Shane said, offering his hand. The young man shook and smiled. "What did you need?"  
  
"I'm in your classes," he explained, producing a couple of enrollment forms. "I think the woman working the desk was new, she claimed she couldn't notorize anything."  
  
Shane looked at Dustin. "We have a new admissions person?"  
  
Dustin shook his head. "That is so Cam's area, dude. Maybe Cam was busy or something."  
  
Shane patted Dustin on the back. "Dustin, bro? Cam's gone."  
  
"Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting," Dustin said sheepishly.  
  
They snapped their fingers in unison. "Marah!"  
  
"Don't tell me Marah got to do admissions," Shane moaned.  
  
The earth trainee smirked. "This is bringing back a lot of memories for me, I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry, dude, there's been a lot of changes areoud here," Dustin told him.  
  
He held out his hands. "I'm Kia. It's nice to meet both of you."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Shane said, awkwardly taking Kia's left hand in his own. In an instant dark energy flowed through the two instructors, and the young man's eyes flashed black.  
He steped back, his smile mutating into something nastier as the two ninjas stood stock still, as if turned to stone. Kira's body shimmed with dark energy, leaving in its place a more familiar form. "We live only to serve you, Master Lothor," Shane intoned.  
  
"Of course you do." The dark ninja laughed. "I have to say, this is the most agreeable I've seen you Rangers! It's a nice change of pace!"  
  
"What must we do?" Dustin asked.  
  
"Return with me to the academy. There is much work ahead of us. Behave normally, arouse no suspicions. I will contact you with further instructions. But first - where has that brother of mine holed himself up?"  
  
"Sensei keeps a private grotto just off academy grounds to commune with his inner ninja," Shane explained. "He should be there now."  
  
"Excellent." Lothor's body shimmered, returning to its more youthful form. "I believe we're long overdue for a proper family reunion!"

* * *

"Lothor slipped in under everyone's radar," Cam explained. "He turned the entire student body into his footsoldiers, and then he started to hack away at the other academies. In the space of just a few months he'd enthralled almost every ninja on the planet."  
  
"Hunter barely got a message out to us from the Thunder academy before Lothor got to him, too," Tori continued. "The schools themselves are abandoned. We don't know where he set up shop."  
  
"The only reason Lothor didn't find us is because we've been moving around a lot. We just got back from 4 months in Sedona." The two shared a warm look, obviously remembering fonder times before all of this came crashing down on them.  
  
Ethan nodded. "The only place you'd have a regular point of correspondance would be your email account."  
  
"What about your father?" Conner asked. "Eric used to talk about Sensei Watanabe a lot after ninja training, he said the guy never took guff from anyone."  
  
Cam looked uneasy. "Lothor, ah, 'dealt' with my father."  
  
Hayley winced. "Oh, Cam, I'm so sorry. We didn't know -"  
  
"He's not dead or anything!" Tori quickly supplied. "Lothor just has this, um, modus operandi with Sensei?"  
  
"He turned him into a parrot," Cam said defeatedly.  
  
Ethan gaped. "He turned him into a what?"  
  
"A parrot!" Cam grunted. "We found him flapping around what was left of the wind academy, making dire predictions and asking for crackers. He's not himself."  
  
"You can say that again," Conner said, rolling his eyes somewhat.  
  
"What can we do to help?" Terrance asked, trying to steer the conversation back on track.  
  
Cam and Tori looked at each other. "How about help us get our students and friends back to normal?" Tori asked.  
  
"Why don't you just ask us to steal the crown jewels while you're at it?" Conner rumbled.  
  
"I was kind of hoping you had a more clear cut plan," Terrance explained. "Do you have any idea where Lothor might be operating from? Do you know what his evil plan is?"  
  
Ethan snapped his fingers. "There's been a rash of burgleries and assaults involving the Ninja Storm Rangers, I saw it a couple hours ago. I didn't have a chance to check it in depth before you guys showed up."  
  
They looked at the two ninjas expectantly. Cam slid smoothly into the extra chair in front of the computer and started typing too rapidly for the eye to see. The extras leaned forward.  
  
"I think that Lothor is using our teammates to gain supplies needed to put a new vessel together," Cam said, still typing.  
  
"Vessel?" Trent asked.  
  
"You mean like a spacecraft?" Hayley said.  
  
Cam nodded briefly. Tori leaned into the explanation. "So, basically, he's looking to build a mobile space base to attack the earth, using the captured Ninjas as cheap labor... or food."  
  
"Or to pack them up and move on to other planets. We decimated Lothor's army, Tor, and most of them he stole from Zurgane in the first place. He'd replenish his stores in one fell swoop and move right on to the next world."  
  
"Then we have to stop them," Terrance said grimly.  
  
Cam opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Terrance's pager. The Black Ranger quickly checked the message and grimaced. "I have to take this, I'm sorry. I need to deliver a package to Elsa."  
  
"Elsa?" the younger Rangers chorused.  
  
Conner hopped down from his perch. "Let me help, Dr. T. It's my brother's body. I have a right to."  
  
"No, Conner. Elsa thinks you're laid out or worse, and I don't want anyone seeing Zeltrax on the side of the angels just yet."  
  
"Could you, like, not say that, Dr. T?" Kira asked. "We came this close to losing Conner this time around, and he's still not himself."  
  
"Well, Dr. T hasn't tossed me or Conner in an insane asylum either," Trent half-joked.  
  
Kira and Ethan both grimaced at that, but Trent and Conner seemed to pay them no notice.  
"Excuse me?" Tori said. "You mean Elsa like on the news?"  
  
"The one and only," Terrance said, trying to keep his tone light.  
  
Tori whistled. "I don't suppose you'd care to enlighten me as to why you're doing this."  
  
"Um ... well ..." he stuttered.  
  
"My brother and I are identical twins," Conner said. "This was his body, then Trent made the lab explode and it was mine."  
  
Tori looked uneasy. "Ah."  
  
Cam nodded, the story not having phased him in the slightest. "That's where I recognize you from. You're a McKnight."

* * *

"You think Cous is going to find us soon?" Marah pleaded to her sister.  
  
Kapri grimaced. They'd taken to ground ever since Uncle descended on the academy like a firestorm, terrified to death what he'd do to them after their final betrayal. "Marah, I think there's a good chance Cam isn't even looking for us."  
  
"You sure?" Marah thought. "Cam, is, like, smart and everything. I mean he's a dork, but he's a smart dork."  
  
"We can't keep relying on others, Marah. We have to start pulling our own weight if we want to survive."  
  
Marah sighed, looking wide-eyed in the vague direction of the Academy they'd once called home.  
  
"But what are we going to DO?" she pleaded to her big sister. "Who'll take us in?"  
  
"We'll take ourselves in," Kapri said, straightening up and pulling a spider out of her hair.  
  
"How does that work? We don't have any money or a place to live or food. I wouldn't want to take in a couple of freeloaders like us!"  
  
Kapri brushed another yellowish spider off her uniform. There seemed to be a lot of them about. "Hey, didn't that instructor of Uncle Kanoi's teach you anything about survival?"  
  
"I missed it because my hair got dirty in Sensei Dustin's class!"  
  
Kapri sighed. "Come on. We'll find someplace to live."  
  
"OK," Marah aid tenatively, getting up to follow her sister out into a thankless, hopeless world.  
  
To be continued.  



	2. part 2

Disclaimer: part 1

Author's note: thanks again to Nalanzu, who wants to kill me : )

The Tempest

by Smittysgirl

The city streets were desolated given the hour of morning. Terrance thanked heaven for small favors and pulled his jeep aside the curb. It might have been illegal parking, but there wasn't much legal - or especially moral - about what he was doing tonight.

"You made it," Principal Randall snorted. How had he not noticed until now the way her sneer reminded him of Elsa? How couldn't he have made the connection the way he had with Anton and Mesogog?

"It's not like I had a lot of choices in the matter," the Black Ranger sighed. He pulled a large ski bag from the rear of his car and set it in front of the dark general. "Thank you for doing this. You're doing a great service to a couple of good people."

Elsa shrugged. "And what of Zeltrax? I watched as Mesogog implanted the systems into his body. There's nothing that woman of yours can do to release him. My master made certain of that. Are you really going to tell his parents what has become of their other son?"

"Let me worry about that," Terrance said through gritted teeth.

Elsa picked up the bag and slung it over her shoulder like it weighed nothing. Terrance had to marvel at the engineering it would have required to put Zeltrax level strength in a still plainly human appearance, and wondered if what she said was true - there was no way of releasing Conner from the armor's hold.

"Tell me something, Black Ranger. What makes you so sure I won't reveal your identity to the world, as you've threatened to do to me?"

Terrance shrugged. "What's the worst that will happen? I might be named in a couple of lawsuits for property damage. Anything beyond small claims will be thrown out of court, you know what the law states on masked vigilantes. I might even become a minor celebrity. You? I'd destroy your entire life."

Elsa grunted. "Point taken."

She adjusted the bag. "I'll make the announcement later today. We're just fortunate Lord Mesogog is still pretty much blinded by the damage incurred at the lab."

With that she dissolved into an invisiportal and Terrance returned to his jeep and headed back home.

* * *

"Welcome back to Good Morning Reefside, with your host Harvey Garvey!" blared the television. "Sitting in for Harvey this morning is our own Stu Starmaker."

"Oog," Hayley groaned, yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes. She gratefully took a steaming mug of coffee from Devin as he came to relieve her at the monitoring station.

The former ninjas had been relating as much backstory on themselves, their academies, and Lothor as possible to the team ever since Terrance returned. Devin, clearly still accustomed to his ancillary status within the team, had opted out of remaining for the entire briefing. Then again, maybe Devin was just atypically nice for a Red Ranger.

"I think that's enough for today," Cam said suddenly. Hayley's yawn, disguised as she tried to make it, had already trickled down and infected most of the people in Dino Ops. Kira had already laid back in Cassidy's lap, half-dozing. From the soft look in the blond's eyes when she looked at Kira to the hard expression she took whenever forced to look at Ethan or Devin, Hayley surmised there were rough times ahead for what was already approaching a love octagon.

"You'll hear no complaints from me," Ethan stretched. "I'm bushed."

"Are you guys safe at your place?" Trent asked suddenly. "I mean, there's not a lot of room here, but we do have cots that can be put up in Dino Ops."

Tori looked at Cam. "Lothor will be looking for us. I'd feel safer knowing we had actual Power Rangers around. Our ninja tricks won't do us much good, especially with hundreds of ninjas prowling the greater Blue Bay Harbor area."

Cam nodded. "If it's not an imposition to all of you, I think it's better if we stay."

"Not at all," Terrance agreed. Hayley chewed her lip to keep from smiling. Terrance and his sister used to take in injured animals when they were younger and nurse them back to health without their father being any the wiser. Apparently he'd never completely lost that protective instinct.

"Oh, hey! Guys!" Devin said frantically. "There's going to be an item on the news about the Ninja Storm Rangers! I think you might want to see this."

The rest of the team piled in behind the two, including a bleary-eyed Kira Cassidy had jostled awake.

"... the scene hours ago as the International Motocross Championships here in Jersey City were assaulted by what appeared to be Blue Bay Harbor's own Power Rangers."

They watched in slack-jawed horror as the three Rangers tore through the participants like they were nothing. The Crimson Ranger summoned what looked like a combination street bike and hang-glier, and was randomly diving at motorcyclists. Yellow kicked up dust storms which threw riders off the path, and Red buffeted the riders with cyclone force winds.

"Amazingly, their assault was repelled when a group of cyclists from Factory Blue rose up to protect one of their own. We spoke to the intended victim of the attack, two-time World Champion Blake Bradley..."

"Blake?" Tori gasped.

"My God," Cam whispered. "They didn't get to him yet. We have to help him!"

"Excuse me," Cassidy asked. "But who is this guy? I mean, besides famous. I know that much. Why would your teammates want to hurt him?"

"I don't think they want to hurt him," Tori said. "They want to make him like them."

"He's the Navy Thunder Ranger, and Hunter's brother," Cam explained.

"Lothor's keeping his presence pretty low," Terrance observed. "Only using the Rangers, not sending out the rest of the ninja students, making no appearances himself. If he is building a new spaceship that would make sense. Maybe he's decided to turn EVERY ninja on Earth, and he's too busy using the students to do that?"

Tori shook her head. "Something feels wrong. He took out all of the academies that we could tell. None are responding to our messages. Most ninjas don't make a career out of it, it's just a specialized degree. Ex-ninjas would be out of practice."

"We need gear," Cam said suddenly. "I've got a few warehouse lots around the country with ninja equipment I've stashed in case of emergency."

Tori nodded. "And there's all that stuff we filed away at home in case of a rainy day."

"All right," Terrance said. "We need to split up. I don't know how long we have before Lothor figures out we've joined forces. Devin, Kira and I will go with Cam. Ethan, Trent, Conner, you're with Tori. Everybody keep in touch at regular intervals, I don't want a sudden ambush to catch us by surprise."

"So much for sleep," Ethan grumbled.

* * *

Cam and Tori's living room was a surprisingly tidy affair for a young couple prone to suddenly packing up and moving across country. Aside from some odds and ends piled on the far end of their coffee table, Trent never would have known they hadn't lived in the apartment for years.

"Nice place," Conner rumbled. Trent was a little disturbed by his friend's current need to wear the armor's helmet whenever actively on duty, but supposed it was as much out of necessity to protect his identity as anything they did while in Ranger attire.

"Yeah," Ethan agreed. "Best most people our age can manage is a studio somewhere."

Tori flipped through a stack of papers. "It's who you know, really. We've met a lot of people over the past year, and good deeds tend to pay themselves off with interest.

"What are we looking for?" Trent asked evenly.

"A ninja communicator. Cam made them for the entire team after we lost our powers. Blake ought to still have his. Unfortunately, we never thought we'd need to use ours again." She scooted down on her knees and started rooting through a chest of drawers. Propped up against the wall beside her sat a bird cage, and inside a large green parrot in what looked like a miniature pillbox hat flapped up from its perch to get a drink of water. It returned to its roost and stared at them with vacant eyes.

"Rawk! Veil of darkness! Lothor must be stopped!""

Ethan gaped, pointing to the cage. "Is that ..."

Tori looked up and nodded. "That's Sensei. The last time Lothor turned him into an animal he had most of his human facilties, but now - whatever happened to Lothor in the Abyss, it changed his magics. Now all Sensei can really do is forecast doom and despair, he doesn't seem to respond to what we say. It's been hard on Cam to see his father like this."

"You keep him in the living room?" Conner asked uncertainly. "That seems kind of cruel."

"One of us felt uncomfortable keeping his Dad in our bedroom, even with a tarp," Tori shrugged.

A moment later she pulled a necklace out of the drawer and fiddled with the front. A small mic popped out of the middle, and she smiled. "Success! Come on, let's go find some of the other ninja chachkies Cam's stored away for a rainy day."

The others trudged their way into the couple's study. Trent held back for a moment, the parrot and he regarding each other uneasily.

"Veil of darkness! Rawk!"

* * *

The Mountain of Lost Ninjas was one of the most unholy sites in ninja folklore. The wayward souls whose very existence was bound to this place would be doomed to walk it like some nightmarish purgatory for the rest of their days. None who practiced any form of ninjitsu dared set foot near it for fear of what might manifest to haunt them - which was perhaps for the best, as the rest of the year it was frequently traversed as part of Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Deep within the cavernous maw midway up the mountain was where Lothor had set up his interim base of operations while construction on his new starship continued. It was a cozy place, and he had a certain attachment to it after losing the Gem of Souls to those impudent Rangers. What better place to rule over those same Rangers?

A shuffling from the entryway alerted Lothor to the presence of his lieutenants, and the three ninjas kneeled before his throne.

"We have retrieved the components you require, master," Shane intoned. "They are being installed in the craft as we speak."

"Thought we regret to inform you that my brother eluded us," Hunter continued.

Lothor steepled his hands. "Not unexpected. The younger Bradley always did have a self reliance the rest of you lacked. He's of less concern to me now than mah nephew. Has Cam attempted to contact any of you since the academies fell?"

"No, sire," Dustin said. "We have been attempting to track his activities, but it has been difficult. None of us have his expertise with computers."

"Except for Tori," Shane interjected. "But if we find her we'll find Cam anyway."

Lothor mulled on this for a moment. "Very well. Continue your patrols of Blue Bay Harbor and outlying areas. Sooner or later one of them has to show."

"Perhaps, master, we should maintain constant surveillance on the Wind and Thunder academies, as I suggested?" Hunter asked uneasily.

A bolt of lightning crackled from Lothor's fingertips, sending the Crimson Ranger reeling. "And as I told you weeks ago, ah will NOT squander manpower an' resources on the hopes we MIGHT happen upon mah nephew! Passive monitoring is useless, we'll require patrols of those areas anyway, depriving me of yet MORE strong hands!"

"I'm ... I'm sorry, Master Lothor," Hunter wheezed. "I had forgotten my place."

"See that you do not make that mistake again, Hunter. Ah might not feel so lenient next time. Y'all are dismissed."

The other two Rangers bowed, gathering up their teammate and shooing themselves out of the cavern before Lothor's hackles raised again.

* * *

"USELESSSSS!" Mesogog hissed, throwing aside another inactive console after an hour's worth of work finessing the delicate wirework back together. He would make the Rangers pay for what they had done to his beautiful laboratory, to say nothing of stealing the work of art that was the Zeltrax armor. Many of the connections within it required the delicate fingers of a human, and Mesogog no longer knew how much control he would have over Anton Mercer's body.

"Why mussst you still have use to me, Anton?"

The lab was now partially operation again. Invisiportal controls were still regulated downstairs and the Hydroregenerator's primary sequencer was damaged beyond repair, but much of the Genome Randomizer had survived the attack. A pity the same could not be said for the DNA samples it ran on.

The tyrant lizard king leaned against the lifeforce extractor's exam table, fighting a wave of nausea. Mercer. He was attemping to take control again.

"ELSSSA!" Mesogog cried. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of his general in hours, and though he might have liked that under normal circumstances, the last thing he wanted was Anton Mercer left unattended with access to his equipment.

With a strangled gurgle he felt his jawline stretch and contort, and skin grow to accomodate the changes in his biology. Control. He must retain control!

The blunt edge of the table gave him an idea, and just as he felt himself beginning to lose control he slammed his forehead against the table. And again. And again. Anton Mercer gained control of a body already halfway to blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

"I'm telling you," Kapri said as the girls stood outside a Gulp 'n Go, "this is going to work. I saw a thing on cable last month. The government is legally obligated to give you catsup and cheese to survive on. We just go in, tell them we're poor, and walk out. Try for something rich, like muenster or brea. We have to subsist on it for a while."

"Are you sure?" Marah whined impatiently. "Those IRS people nearly called the police when we asked for a handout!"

"Duh, that's why we crossed the city line before we tried here!"

A flash of light in front of them halted their progress towards the store. A woman stood there in black leather, with a deteriorating body tucked under her arm and flanked by a bunch of white and black cyclopses.

"OMIGOD," Marah gasped with recognition at the bloated face on the corpse. "That's Eric McKnight!"

The woman's expression went through a comical range of emotions at the sight of Marah. "The Blue Ranger's ..."

They were interrupted by police sirens.


	3. chapter 3

Disclaimer: chapter 1

The Tempest  
by Smittysgirl

Marah didn't understand why people spoke so poorly of jail. She had a room furnished with a bed, toilet, sink, and window. She had something on the order of privacy, with Kapri stuck in the cell over, and she had 3 square meals a day. It was worlds better than a lot of the hovels Uncle Lothor had set up shop in years earlier.

She also didn't understand why people called it 'the pokey'. She had requested Gumby videos repeatedly but been rebuffed each time. The guards were staring at her strangely sometimes, but she guessed it was because they'd never seen someone as striking as her before.

She sighed, plopping down on her bed and mulling it over. She didn't know what to make of anything. She and Kapri had returned from their 3 week retreat - on Sensei Shane's suggestion - to find the academy reduced to a ghost town. They'd spent their time ever since trying to deduce what had happened to the others, and what they could do about it.

Uncle Lothor was back, she knew that much.

It had taken her a long time to realize that she was in love with the idea of love. Or, rather, the idea of being loved. She'd wanted affection so much that she would have been willing to commit evil crimes. Follow Kapri for approval.

Sensei Dustin had changed that so much. Marah didn't know what it was she wanted. She felt comfortable here. Safe even. Free of Kapri's influence, but not without her sister's presence. Did that make it right? Did that mean she could lay here and let something happen to Sensei Dustin?

"I gotta get out of here!" she gasped, reaching around for a spell.

The sound of footsteps down the hall halted her before she could fully form one. Marah curled up in a little tiny ball. The sheriff stared down at her with a look of bafflement on his face. "Um. Hi? Kochiwa? Espanol?"

He glowered. "Hello there, Ms. Buzzbestinger. I do wish you'd been more cooperative with us. It would have saved us all a lot of trouble, and your parents wouldn't have had to worry themselves half to death."

"Um ... well ..." She couldn't understand why her parents would be worried. Or why they'd be on this planet.

A tall, darkish man with strong features and a rotund blond woman appeared behind the sheriff, their eyes bloodshot and their expressions harrowed.

"Um ... hi!"

The woman began to bawl uncontrollably. "Oh Cassidy, what have they done to you?"

The man held her close to him for a moment, looking back and forth from her to Marah in confusion.

"Hi," she repeated.

"You got a fantastic dye job, m'girl," he sputtered finally. It brought about a fresh round of tears from the woman.

"You like it?" Marah asked, fluffing her hair absently.

The sheriff grunted gruffy, unlocking the door to her cell. "Cassidy Cornell. Age 17, former Channel 3 news anchor and student at Reefside High. It would have saved us all a lot of time if you'd told us your real name, Ms. Cornell. Your parents have paid your bail, you're free to go."

"WHAT?" Kapri wailed from the next cell.

"Well, um..." Marah tried, not quite willing to be away from her sister. "It's not like that, it's like...."

"How does she get out?!" Kapri screamed. "Tell them, Marah!"

The sheriff shook his head. "I don't care what story you're following, Ms. Cornell. We could only hold you overnight for questioning in your involvement in Eric McKnight's death. The judge ruled it entirely Mesogog's doing. You must be released to your parents' custody as a minor."

"Eric McKnight, that loser? That's worth imprisoning us?" Kapri cried.

"Um, but I'm not Cassidy Cornell," Marah tried.

The sheriff shook his head to the parents. "I don't reckon why she's going on like this. Even investigative journalism doesn't produce denial this extensive."

"Oh LAMONT!" the woman cried again. "Our baby girl has joined some freakish CULT!"

"You're right, Miriam," the man said. "Come on, Cassidy. We're taking you home."

"I'm NOT Cassidy Cornell!" Marah insisted.

The sheriff sighed. "Ma'am, we've taken your finger prints. If you'd like, you can submit to a blood test upon release. It's going to say the same thing. You ARE Cassidy Cornell."

"But that's my sister, over there!" she said. "And my cous Cam ... if I knew how to contact him, he could tell you that I'm Marah."

"The programming must be pretty deep," the woman reasoned. "We need to get her to a clinic as soon as possible. Maybe Westlake, it worked wonders for your uncle."

"I wonder, if this sister and cousin of hers are fellow cultists?" the man asked.

"Hello, I am so not in a cult!" Marah said. "Well, maybe things were kinda cultish with Uncle Lothor, but that was kind of because he was charismatic, in an evil genious sort of way ...."

Her wannabe parents exchanged a nervous glance and quickly dragged her out of the cell.

"MARAH!" Kapri wailed. "I swear on all that's unholy if you're doing this without me I'll skin you like a duck!"

"Tell Cous to rescue me," Marah called. "I swear, I'm not doing this on my own!"

"Is there some kind of 'box' or 'hole' you can stick that woman in?" the man asked.

"Until trial," the woman added.

"Wish we could, ma'am, but at least your daughter will be safe at Westlake," the sheriff said.

And just like that, Marah found herself another sort of prisoner.

* * *

"This is so stupid," Conner moaned.

Ethan nearly shrugged before he was sideswiped by an SUV. "Until we can get better monitoring equipment installed at our base it's the best we can manage. At least this way we're going nowhere FAST."

"Just give me something to hit," Conner muttered.

Trent patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. "We'll buy you a bop bag at Big K after lunch, alright?"

"That was not what I had in mind," Conner growled.

"Is this because you wanted to drive the truck?" Ethan asked evenly. "Because, dude, with that temper I'd be more afraid of dying from road rage than I already am."

With their assignment over and Dr. Smitty not wanting to spread all their forces outside of the greater Reefside/Blue Bay metro area in search of Cam's other devices, the teens had taken Cam's old mobile command outpost to the streets to manually scan for Lothor's presence. Tori had immediately stationed herself in the back as the only person capable of operating the sensor equipment.

"Look, I'm in a bad mood, all right?" Conner asked.

"You mind telling us why?" Ethan asked. Trent held up a hand as a warning gesture.

"No," Conner growled.

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" Trent said calmly.

"Just let me hit something?" Conner repeated.

"When we find Lothor you can KILL things. How's that?" Trent said after a long silence.

"That works," Conner said with a shrug.

The Blue and White Rangers exchanged an uneasy glance. A PT Cruiser jumped two lines and darted in front of the semi, causing Ethan to slam on the brakes. Conner growled.

"Can I kill HIM?" he said, pointing at the car. "I memorized his plates. I could hunt him down."

"No, Conner, the bad guys. Kill the bad guys."

Conner made a sad choking noise. There wasn't the slightest bit of irony intended by that. Ethan winced.

"Guys," Ethan warned. "Lothor. 'Member?"

"Whatever" Conner shrugged and went back to his seat near Tori in the rear. Ethan felt for his fellow Blue Ranger all the sudden, if she had to put up with this.

"I hope we find the bastard soon," Trent said softly. "For all our sakes."

* * *

The sheer mass of material in the warehouse was staggering. Kira had no idea how the Green Ranger could possibly remember where anything was after so long, but he moved from crate to crate without any kind of reference that she could determine. A small pile of goods at Dr. Smitty's feet attested to what Cam felt they could use.

"I thought trying to clean up main Ops was bad," she muttered.

"Cam?" Devin asked suddenly. "How much is everything here, like ... worth?"

"To science or materially?" Cam yelled over his shoulder as he tore open another carton.

"Um.... both?" Devin asked, fiddling with his morpher nervously.

"Incalculable and about a quarter billion."

"Um..." Devin looked lightheaaded.

"How did you manage to acquire all of this?" Terrance asked, stepping behind the Red Ranger in the event he was to pass out or stumble around.

"A lot of the devices are worth more than the sum of their parts. The transtech inducer has some parts I got at Big Lots. The fact that it makes incompatable electrical systems work together is why it's worth a few million in intellectual property rights."

Devin sat down abruptly. Kira knelt down next to him and snapped her fingers. "Are you feeling all right? Do you know where you are?"

"Um... you're Kira, that's Dr. T, and that's Cam."

Kira smiled. "That's who we are, actually."

"Oh, right. Sorry." Devin smoothed his hand down. "Um, a warehouse in the middle of nowhere?"

"Utah," Cam corrected.

"Um, right. Utah."

"OK," Cam said after another few moments of down time while Devin got his bearings. "I'm pretty sure that's everything we'll be needing to find Lothor. We ought to touch base with Tori and the others - we need to organize who's going after Blake."

An eruption of green light filled the rear of the warehouse, leaving behind a disheveled and bloodied Dr. Anton Mercer. Kira and Devin stepped forward defensively, protecting the powerless Cam.

"Anton, what's happened to you?" Dr. T asked warily. His morpher remained in bracelet mode, and the teens followed his example.

"Mesogog," the older man wheezed. "He ... he tried to fight my taking control by damaging my human body. He almost put me in a coma. I think I have a concussion. The sole upshot being that he won't revert back in control until it's mended - the brain damage would be mine and mine alone."

"We can bring you back to Dino Ops," the Black Ranger said finally. "There would be enough time to at least try some of the antigens I'd been working on for Conner on you while you receive treatment. If worse came to worse I could put you in suspended animation."

Mercer shook his head. "That's not where you need to be, Terrance. I ... I want you to kill me, the same as before, but now isn't the time. My fortress, you need to go there. Destroy everything before Mesogog can rebuild again. Cripple his empire now, decisively."

"Anton, I can't. Destroying Mesogog means destroying you, and I'm not willing to make that sacrifice. I've already lost Eddie," Terrance shook his head. "I can't lose you too. There's too much suffering in our lives already."

"Terrance, I know about Susan - about Elsa. I know she came to you, and arranged to dispose of Conner's body. I know because I had to force myself to stay awake while fighting the injuries. Mesogog will know. Do you think he'll let her live for what she's done? Don't do this for me, if that's what stays your hand. Do it for her. For yourself."

Cam brushed past the teens, standing beside Dr. Smitty. "You're Anton Mercer. I don't pretend to understand a lot of what's going on here, but ... it's an honor, sir."

The scientist smiled faintly. "Always good to know I had some positive impact."

"Dr. Mercer, we HAVE to get you to a hospital," Kira said finally. "I don't care about Mesogoon, you'll die without treatment. The part of you that's human will die, and Mesogog will keep on going forever."

He looked at her darkly. "Then you appreciate the reasons for my request."

* * *

Cassidy was tired and cranky. She yawned, reaching for a cruller next to the situation board. She'd have never normally given a pastry a second thought - carbs, yuck - but right now she wanted something empty and utterly lacking in nutrients filling her gut. The morning had already gone from bad to worse. She hadn't checked in with her parents in nearly 17 hours, and at this point she had simply decided not to bother. Her decision to leave Channel 3 hadn't sat well with them, and dinners were becoming an increasingly tense affair with each passing day.

She wanted some place warm and inviting, like the Fords' house. Why couldn't they adopt her; why couldn't they be her foster parents?

_Why couldn't they be your inlaws?_ a little voice in her asked suddenly. Cassidy contemplated beating her head against the wall to make the little voice go away.

A console in front of her chirped, and Cass expertly called up Hayley's visage from inside the Cyberspace. Ever since the trouble last week with Zeltrax she'd made it a point to be schooled on the system's finer points by their mentors. "Cassidy here."

"Hey Cass," Hayley smiled from her hidden camera behind the counter. "I was just about to close down the store and come relieve you. Do you need a bite to eat or something?"

Cass shook her head. "Appreciate it, but no. I'm actually thinking of spending the night in Dino Ops anyway, so you could just head for bed when you get here."

Hayley blinked in surprise. "That's awfully big of you. Do you want me to call your parents and get their - "

"No," Cass cut in, her voice pleading for no interference.

"All right," Hayley sighed. "Have you heard anything from the gang?"

"Not beyond the regular check-ins they're making with each other and with me. Tori's group should be checking in momentarily, as a matter of fact." Actually, the Blue Wind Ranger's team was 2 minutes late for their report, but Cass didn't mind so much. It meant she didn't have to come up with empty pleasantries to Ethan right now.

Not that she was particularly fond with them with devin either, but he at least knew enough not to press the issue in any way.

Hayley shrugged. "OK. I should be there in about 15 minutes. Let me know on my cell if there's anything important?"

Cassidy nodded and the image clicked off. She sighed, taking a bite of the disgusting, process-fruit filled pastry.

* * *

Conner had been quiet for the rest of the drive, and through two meal/restroom breaks from the others. It was only when the others climbed in carrying his take-out meatloaf that he looked up from the computer station in the dash.

"I ran the plates. He's a Grand Wizard with the KKK."

Trent and Ethan looked at one another in confusion. Tori shrugged and climbed back into the rear of the trailer. "The guy in the PT Cruiser," Conner explained. "He's a bad guy."

Ethan coughed. Trent looked back at the Blue Ranger nervously before replying. "I think we should confine ourselves to the bad guys that aren't completely human."

Ethan hastily shoved the bag into Conner's arms. "No red sauce, just like you asked. Please eat this, so I know precisely where you are for the next half hour."

Conner grumbled good naturedly, climbing in the back to demolish his dinner. Ethan and Trent exchanged another uncomfortable look before the semi started up again, lumbering out of the parking lot and picking up speed.

Three streaks of colored light landed in front of the truck, revealing identically colored figures. The crimson figure's hand shot out, and he was obscured behind the grill a moment later. Ethan and Trent lurched at the impact. It was nearly a minute later before Ethan realized they were no longer moving.

The roof of the trailer screeched, exploding outward and leaving Tori and Conner exposed to figures in red and yellow. Tori grabbed at her side, quick switching from her civilian attire to her ninja instructor uniform. Conner nodded, his helmet reforming and his Zeltrax armament adorning his holsters.

"Not exactly subtle," Shane laughed. "Did you think you could just lumber around in our own vehicle and not draw our attention?"

Tori shrugged, her gaze never leaving his visor. "It was the best sensor equipment we had. 'Sides, we still found you, didn't we?"

The deployment ramp for the Tsunami Cycles was torn from its hinges. "More like we've found you," Hunter said from behind his Crimson Blaster.

Dustin slung his Lion Hammer over his shoulder. "Surrender now, Tori. Master Lothor is eager to welcome you back into the fold. There might even still be a place for that leman of yours."

Tori's face puckered. "Now I know Lothor's brainwashed you guys."

Ethan unbuckled his seatbelt and looked at Trent briefly. "I don't think they noticed us. You get a warning out to the others, I'm going to protect Conner and Tori from the goon patrol."

"Um, Ethan?" Trent said uneasily.

"What?"

He spun the Blue Ranger back towards the front window. Dozens of ninja students of all disciplines were streak teleporting in front of the cab. Ethan chewed his lip. "Well. Crap."

* * *

The Cornells were nice enough, Marah supposed. They fed her, clothed her, and proceeded to call her by a name that wasn't hers several times. The bedroom they'd given her was even pretty nice, adorned as it was in so many shades of pink. It reminded Marah a little of her own room back on Uncle Lothor's ship.

It was sad about their daughter, but Marah didn't know what she was supposed to be doing about it. She's settled for playing this out and seeing where it took her. That unfortunately meant a litany of tests and psychological screenings as yet to be determined. Marah really didn't like that. She didn't know what Uncle Lothor was doing to Sensei Dustin, or Uncle Sensei, or Cous. She didn't know how the people in jail were treating her sister.

With a sigh she got up out of bed and took a look around at Cassidy's personal items. Besides a scrap book filled with clippings - which she quickly realized pertained only to Cassidy herself and her own tumultuous rise to fame - she found a handful of pictures featuring other people. The most frequent players were a disheveled looking young man with a red hoodie, a handsome young man in varying shades of blue, and a girl with enormous eyes in canary yellow.

"These are the people she loves most," Marah realized. People that Cassidy, through all her vanity and selfishness, cared enough about to place on a level almost as high as her own. Marah saw some of Kapri in that, she supposed. Though she also knew instinctively her sister loved her more than anything.

Marah smiled a little as she flipped through the stack. The most recent set appeared to have been taken at one of those automated five-shot stripped machines. Cassidy and the girl had climbed inside, maybe as a distraction to take their minds off something. It was evident from their posture that both wanted more physical contact with the other than they were making. Marah wondered if Cassidy even knew how much Kira loved her, and vice versa.

Marah's brow furrowed. _Kira_. How did she know her name was Kira? She didn't recall reading anything that said that the names of these people.

Her interest piqued, Marah went back to the other two. The young man in blue took a little while longer, but his name finally fell off her tongue. _Ethan_. Warm and comfortable. An anchor of stability in a choppy sea. Ethan, who made Cassidy feel smart. Smart in a way her arrogance and self denial never could.

The last stabbed at her. Dagwood? Dilbert? Cassidy didn't feel that same connection to him, and Marah's heart went out for him. It was evident how deeply he loved her. Marah wondered if Cassidy was even cognizant of that, or simply took it for granted and led him around like some toy poodle. Marah knew, first thing tomorrow, she'd find out who this guy was and make a point to apologize to him on behalf of her double. It was just the right thing to do.

Marah went back to bed, her spirits lifting immensely.


	4. part 4

Disclaimer in chapter 1.

Author's notes: Thanks once again to Nalan for putting up with me, and to the readers who didn't kill me when I forgot to upload these : )

The Tempest  
by Smittysgirl

Devin felt uncomfortable in Mesogog's lair. It wasn't that he doubted Dr. Mercer's word or that the four of them combined couldn't overpower him before the transformation to his reptilian form was finished, but the stories he'd heard about what had happened to Conner and Trent in this place had left deep psychic scars. The debris still littering parts of the laboratory didn't help matters much either.

"We know what we're here to do, people," Dr. Smitty said without preamble. Devin wondered how much this had to be hurting him, he knew the doctors had been friends long before all of this had started. He also wondered if Dr. Smitty truly intended to kill Dr. Mercer when they were finished here.

Dr. Mercer noded. "Dismantle everything but the invisiportal controls. You'll need them to get back anyway. Elsa will be no threat to you without my armaments."

An indicator light above the sensors began flashing. The doctors exchanged a harrowed look, and Dr. Smitty took his place above the station. The monitor switched on, revealing the other group of heroes fighting off the combined forces of the brainwashed Rangers and countless ninjas.

Kira touched her morpher absently. "Oh jeez, they should have checked in a few minutes ago! We were so sidetracked by all this we forgot!"

"Tori," Cam breathed as the blond ducked beneath the reach of the Yellow Ranger, donkey kicking the Red Ranger backwards and rocketing above the Crimson Ranger with a concentrated blast of water. The others might have been holding their own, but none had the young girl's style at doing it.

"We have to help them," Dr. T said firmly. "Anton, this will have to wait. They need reinforcements right now."

Dr. Mercer shook his head. "There's no time. My body is mending itself faster than a normal human's. Mesogog will take control by the time you get this all sorted out. You can't fight a war on multiple fronts, Terrance!"

"I'll sure as hell try," Terrance said.

Inspiration hit Devin like a freight train. He brushed past the others and called up Mesogog's orbital sensor grid. With a few frantic keystrokes and some broad associative scans he had called up the Factory Blue HQ in new Jersey. He grabbed a printout as it streamed out of a slot. "I might have an idea. The rest of you go on without me, I'm no good to you anyway with my -"

Kira tried not to smile. "Devin, you're the Red Ranger now."

"Oh. Yeah. I am." Devin chuckled nervously. "But anyway, I have something I need to try. Go on ahead."

Terrance shrugged. "All right. But be careful," he looked cautiously at Dr. Mercer, who shook his head slowly as if to confirm the transformation hadn't begun yet.

"I will," Devin promised, bolting out the room before they could follow.

* * *

"This is bad!" Ethan yelled over the din as he knocked back a squad of irate thunder discipline students, sending ricocheted lightning across the field with his shield.

Trent used his speed bursts to avoid the crush of wind and earth students trying to box him in. "Ethan, I don't think we can limit ourselves by trying to not hurt them!" The White Ranger backhanded a persistent water student to demonstrate his point.

"We're not killers, Trent!" They'd caught glimpses of the ghoulish swath Conner was cutting through the students stupid enough to persue him, and neither wanted to even think about the aftermath of this fight.

"I know we're not!" Trent insisted. "But I don't think we can resolve this through nonviolent means. We have to take this fight to a higher level. We have -"

An invisiportal split the sky above them, depositing 2 of their fellow Rangers and the uniform attired Cam nearby.

"We have backup," Trent said.

* * *

"Argh!" Dustin cried as Tori beaned him in the back with his Lion Hammer. Her stomach tightened at the thought she'd hurt her old friend, but she knew that Lothor wasn't playing. The boys would forgive her after, she had to believe that. Just so long as their was an 'after'.

"You're getting on my nerves," Shane drawled, aiming his Falcon Blaster squarely at her head. Before she could move to evade Hunter slipped in from behind and ran his Thunder Staff against her solar plexis, pulling her back against him. "I don't think Master Lothor would mind if I simply removed you from the equation."

Before he could pull the trigger a white and green streak raced up from behind, unsheathing the sword from his back and knocking him into pavement. Shane growled as he rose back up. "Who dares?"

The streak reformed, revealing Trent with his arm snaked around Cam's waist. Cam smirked, gesturing towards Shane with his own Ninja Sword. "I heard you guys were having a block party."

Shane fired the weapon without aiming, sending a stream of fire careening towards the two Rangers. Trent ducked backwards, but Cam dived below the blast, swinging the sword in front of him in widening arcs as a shield. "Looks like I brought the dip!"

Tori saw her chance, elbowing Hunter as hard as she could and retrieving the discarded Lion Hammer. She conked Shane on the back of the head, and Cam finished his charge and slashed the Red Ranger across the chest in one move. The Ranger collapsed and the two former instructors briefly embraced.

From two lanes over Dustin slowly rose back onto his feet. This wasn't at all how Master Lothor had thought capturing their former teammates would have gone, but that didn't mean it had to end in total failure. He concentratred and gestured towards the ground underneath the blacktop, trying to make a connection ...

The asphault in front of him exploded upwards, sending him flying into the radial. A creature in black armor shot up into the air in a move Dustin himself had done hundreds of times, and rained down laser fire on the Yellow Ranger. "What the heck IS that thing?" he cried.

The creature laughed as it landed, still firing on Dustin. He winced as he realized the red accents all along the armor were human blood. "I can use Eric's ninja powers! Oh, this is TOTALLY sweeee - "

It collapsed as overlapping streams of earth and water pinned it down from behind. A small group of students waved to Dustin as they quickly caked the creature in a thick and fast hardening mud. He grinned under his helmet.

Kira shot over the crowd in her Superdino Mode, Ethan hanging under her arms like she was some sort of glider. This was an especially tricky manuever without practice, but the Blue Ranger was pretty confident he could make it work. He just wished he could see the look on the Crimson Ranger's pouty face when he realized they'd copied his own stunt. Just as they reached the target drop, Ethan launched himself from his arms and demorphed, changing his body's density to diamond hard and tucking in a ball.

The students went flying as the Ethan-ball plowed through a line of befuddled ninja students, finally knocking down and coming to rest on the Crimson Ranger's chest. Hunter wheezed underneath the intense pressure and struggled for a moment to get up before relenting.

An eruption of light halted the skirmish for a moment, revealing the fully morphed Navy Thunder Ranger. Both sides stopped what they were doing as he marched unimpeded towards the location of the 3 other empowered Ninja Storm Rangers. He glared down at the felled body of his brother before reaching down ...

Tori flinched, tightening her grip on the Lion Hammer just in case. Cam nervously fingered the keys on the sword, prepared to switch it to Gold Mode.

... and helped Ethan back to his feet. A second later another invisiportal opened and the Red Ranger dashed out behind him. "Hey guys!!" Devin yelled.

"Blake?" Cam asked uncertainly. Navy nodded, brushing off Ethan's shoulders.

"It's me, guys. Devin filled me in on what was happening, since you were all too preoccupied to come and get me yourselves," Blake said.

Devin nodded. "And Blake told me about the Abyss of Evil and your powers, so I had us invisiportal in and take them back ourselves while we were on the island." He produced a Wind Morpher and the Samurai Amulet from behind his back. "I believe these belong to you."

Cam's heart leapt to his throat as he hung the necklace around himself once more. It was the only tangible link he had left to his mother, and he was almost afraid to show the relief he was feeling in front of everyone - friends and strangers included. Tori gently placed a hand on his arm to reassure him.

The remaining students looked to one another in confusion with their leaders all defeated. With a collective shrug they ninja streaked away back to Lothor. Dr. Smitty took a long, horrified look at the felled students that remained. Though none appeared to be dead at the moment, a handful were almost mortally wounded. He tapped the call button on his morpher. "Anton, we've got a situation here. Is your sickbay intact?"

"Not to mention your prisons?' Kira asked into her own.

A sickening hiss emanated from their morphers. "Pl ... pl ... pleasssssse hurry," Dr. Mercer pleaded. "You don't have much longer."

* * *

Hayley hadn't gone back to bed when she arrived. Neither team had checked in for almost an hour, and both women were near the point of outright panic. Had Lothor gotten to them? Had Mesogog? some combination there of? Cassidy wouldn't have been surprised if Lord Zedd himself had gotten up and was prowling the earth again.

"You know, it's possible both groups have fallen into jamming fields," Hayley said reasonably. "Some metalwork does interfere with our communications systems, just like cell phones. And just like cell phones there's dead zones. We're only piggybacking on what systems we can hack into."

Cassidy moaned. She didn't want to be thinking about this right now. All of the people she cared about most were in danger, not to mention the rest of her friends. She wished desperately there was something she could do. She wanted to be there, she wanted to be part of it - she wanted to be a Ranger, she realized. Not for the glory it intailed or the power of the preeminence, she wanted it so she could help her friends.

An indicator light flashed, and an image appeared on the screens in front of them. It was Dr. Smitty! He looked at them nervously, and they realized in unison he was calling from Mesogog's lair. "Hey. Sorry we didn't get a chance to call either of you before now, but stuff has come up."

"Terrance, are you a prisoner?" Hayley asked uncertainly. Though she had fight training, she wasn't anything on the order of a Power Ranger. Cassidy knew exactly how she was feeling.

Dr. Smitty shook his head. "Certainly not. We're currently in control of the base, and Anton is ... busy. How long that will last is anyone's guess. The other Ninja Storm Rangers are our prisoners, and Cam and Tori have their powers back."

Both women exhaled at once. No wonder they couldn't be bothered to check in.

"Look, the reason I'm calling is to make sure you don't worry, and to extend an invitation. We have a lot to do here, and we're all running on empty. I'd like you both to come to the island; I can have an invisiportal ready at a moment's notice."

"What about Dino Ops?" Cassidy asked. "It'll be unguarded."

"Open the raptor pens, let them patrol the grounds. The possibilities we have with access to Mesogog's base are incalcuable, I'm willing to risk Lothor attacking our base," Dr. Smitty said.

Hayley sighed. "If you're convinced. I'm not sure how much good we're going to be, but we'll do our best. Set it up near the Cyberspace, please? I don't want Mesogog having the coordinates to Dino Ops even if he is currently on our side."

Dr. Smitty nodded. "No problem."

to be continued


	5. part 5

Disclaimer in chapter 1.

Author's notes: Thanks once again to Nalan for putting up with me, and to the readers who didn't kill me when I forgot to upload these : )

The Tempest  
by Smittysgirl

The past 24 hours had been frantic on Mesogog's island. Left without a certified means of incapacitating their villain, the team had been forced to medicate Anton Mercer and strap him to the lifeforce extractor's exam table. The injured ninja students had been more of an ordeal. Mesogog's chamber of horrors downstairs had been pressed into service as a sickbay, and Cassidy had quickly drafted Cam and Blake as nurses. And as for the captured Ninja Storm Rangers ...

Left with no other recourse, and unwilling to medicate them as thoroughly as Dr. Mercer, the three enspelled Rangers had been stripped of their morphers and forcibly teleported to a desert island about an hour away, one Mesogog had masked from most forms of sensor equipment years earlier. Hayley and Dr. Smitty didn't like it very much, but they had too much to attend to with their own foe and the ninjas Conner had incapacitated.

Kira sighed, leaning against the rocky outcropping that overlooked the island's still lush forests. Behind her a hidden door whooshed open, and Ethan took a seat next to her. "Rough night, huh?"

Kira looked at him briefly before her gaze returned to the foliage. "I wasn't even sure if it was night again until I came out here. I guess most evil lairs don't bother with clocks or stock tickers or anything that might tell you."

Ethan laughed softly. "Sounds like a casino."

Kira sighed. Ethan warily embraced her, and she happily moved into his arms. All she wanted right now was to be held, why didn't anyone understand that? "I hate this. This whole last couple of months has been murder on us. Do you remember when all we had to worry about was Conner turning into a mutant freak?"

"It was a simpler time," Ethan deadpanned. It elicited the most laughter she could remember having in the last week.

"I know Dr. Smitty is doing everything he can, but we're so cut off. Our lives, our school - my God, Ethan, what are we going to tell anyone? What kind of excuses do you think Randall's making for us? For Dr. Mercer? What do our parents think? How can we ever go back to normal lives after something this enormous?"

Ethan rubbed her shoulders, trying to let out some of the tension. He would have had better luck getting the curls out of a phone cord. "Do you know what really scares me, Kira? The thought we might not want to go back to normal lives after all this. Remember what the Black Space Ranger said after he quit soccer? His dreams of being remembered for himself, for what he had accomplished, were taken over by his identity as someone that had dealt with something beyond himself. No wonder they all live in space now."

"I'm just scared everyone is going to end up in jail when this is all said and done," Kira sobbed. "We've had to have broken some laws somewhere, and the perception of what we've done is way worse than what we actually did."

Ethan chewed his lip. "I'm terrified of losing Cassidy. I think I already have. Maybe to the life, maybe to the choices I've made in this life, I don't know. I really love her. Maybe it's not marriage or anything, but I couldn't bear the thought of her not being here anymore."

Kira's blood ran cold, and she knew she was going to have to tell him the truth. Tell it before this compounded and she lost the truest and most loyal friend she'd ever had in this whole nightmarish life. "Ethan, there's something I need to tell you."

* * *

"This isn't FAIR!" Kapri screamed for the third consecutive day. "Everyone I know has done way more illegal stuff than I have! I can name names! I can give you home addresses! If you want you can go spelunking in the Abyss of Evil and make some of them accredible for their actions!"

"It's been like this since you left," the sheriff whispered to Marah as they entered the jail. "Your cultist friend here is not taking imprisonment well. We're considering sending her to Westlake, especially now that your parents have loosened the noose on you, Ms. Cornell."

Marah smiled. "I suppose I'm just fortunate that I had such loving parents who could understand my predicament and let me get back to my normal life!"

The sheriff nodded. "Though I have to say, I'm impressed they'd let you come back here and speak with her unattended."

Marah shrugged. "Their brainwashing only ran so deep. Patty Hearst has nothing on me! Besides, it looks like this one's about to crack herself. She might be my only lead to finding some of the people that did this to us. I'm just glad Mr. Cormier understood and took me back into the fold at Channel 3!"

The lawman shrugged, heading to the back of the hallway for a moment apparently to ensure his own belief in Marah's lack of complicity was accurate.

"What are you doing?!" Kapri hissed. Marah shushed her, smiling a toothy grin at the sheriff before he disappeared.

"What do you think? I have to play this thing out until I can figure out what happened! The easiest way to do that was to pretend the brainwashing failed and I was Cassidy. Kapri, there's lots of stuff going on here that doesn't make sense!"

"Like my baby sister being out on the town while I'm cooped up in here!" she yelped, throwing herself back on her bed. Marah frowned.

"Stop thinking about yourself for a minute! I did some investigating. Cassidy's whole life has been taking a down turn in the last few months. She's spending more and more time with Eric McKnight's twin brother, a guy with known psychological problems, who vanished exactly when Eric did. Now Eric's dead body turns up weeks old. Every single person that Cassidy knew vanished at almost the same time this week. Their science teacher, the woman who runs the local teen hangout - EVERYONE. She quit a lucrative job at Channel 3 too."

"So?" Kapri demanded. "Lots of weird stuff is happening. Uncle Lothor must've hit the academies about the same time too. Why is any of this your concern?"

"Because it's the right thing to do!" Marah stamped her foot. "And maybe if we can figure out what's happening here we can get to the bottom of what happened at the academies! We're too close to it, Kapri. Too much is resting on the McKnight brothers. We have to be missing something."

"This isn't our business!" Kapri said defiantly. "I don't know when you became such a goody-good, but we need to look out for ourselves. There's nobody left, Marah! This is a matter of life and death for our kind - not to mention us - and you're off chasing rainbows."

"This matters," Marah said. "I know it."

The siblings exchanged a heated glance before Kapri grabbed a pillow and screamed into it in sheer frustration. "Fine. You win. We'll play this out. But what happens then, huh? I'm still in prison, and any minute now Lothor's going to come looking for us."

Marah smiled. "But sis, if I can prove Cassidy's cult or whatever killed Eric, you'll get sprung and we can get out of here!"

Kapri blinked, that train of thought having never occured to her. She smiled in return. "So I guess doing the right thing does have its advantages!"

"Totally!"

* * *

"Thank heaven for small favors," Terrance said in relief as he wiped blood on his hospital tunic. "Everyone will pull through."

Hayley sagged. He disposed of the tunic, pulled her into a tight embrace, and they lounged back onto one of the benches set around the once and likely future chamber of horrors.

"I can't believe all this happened," Hayley said.

"I just want it to be over," he breathed into her hair. "I just want to go home and get back to how everything was before. Adrenaline and shock only go so far. I don't know how Cassidy is doing it."

Their gaze turned to the young woman, frantically rounding up whatever Rangers or support staff were available and bringing them in as swing shift nurses. "She's a teenager. And she has a palm pilot."

Terrance laughed softly. "Devin just got done cleaning out some of the barracks. Get some sleep. We've got a full day ahead of us. You need it more than us Rangers."

Hayley yawned. "No, I don't."

"Yes," he insisted, "you do."

His hands slid around her waist, feeling her heart pound all the way down in her rib cage. "You're about to collapse, Haye. You can't lie to me."

"Okay, so I'm a little tired. If Cassidy can run around with her palm pilot, I should be able to run around too."

"It's a Zire," Cassidy called.

Hayley waved as she was too tired to muster up a verbal response. Terrance kissed her forehead. "I tell you what, if you promise to lay down and rest for 20 minutes, I'll sit right next to you and make sure nothing important happens."

Hayley grinned. "Promise?"

He smiled down at her. "I promise."

Hayley sagged further into his embrace. "Good, because I'm about to collapse."

The emergency exit burst open, and an irate Ethan stormed through the sickbay. He glared at Cassidy for a moment before grabbing his knapsack and bursting into the hallway.

"Shit," Terrance muttered. "I'm sorry, love, but - "

Trent popped his head out of a side door leading to Dr. Mercer's examination room. He'd been keeping a vigil beside his father for hours now, when not assisting Cassidy at one thing or another. "What's up?"

"We don't know," Hayley said, forcing her way back to her feet and sighing. Kira came out of the same door as Ethan, roughly ten steps behind and looking around in confusion. It was evident the Yellow Ranger was in a great deal of turmoil.

Trent looked at Kira. "What's going on?"

Kira couldn't meet his eyes. She clenched her fists, trying not to cry in sheer frustration. "I told Ethan some ... some unpleasant things."

"Like what?" Trent asked, confused.

"Never mind!" Kira exclaimed, stomping out. Cassidy's hand went to her mouth, and she chased after Kira a second later. Hayley and Terrance exchanged a long look before filing out after her, and Trent after them. They followed her through the labyrinthian corridors of the base for a few minutes before Kira turned around and glared. "Would everybody leave me alone. NOW."

"Kira," Hayley said cautiously from the middle of the chain, "we're just concerned about you."

"I'm FINE," Kira snapped.

Cassidy cautiously stepped forward. "Kira, please. I - I want to know you're all right."

"I'm fine, leave me alone!" Kira shouted.

"I can't," Cass said softly. Conner popped out of the express lift behind Trent, and the White Ranger quickly hustled him to the back of their growing little crowd.

"Cass ... "

Cassidy place her hands on Kira's shoulders. "You know why I can't let you go, not like this."

Kira sighed. "I'm pissed and I'm having a bad day."

"We're all having a bad day, Kira," Cassidy reassured her. "Tell me why Ethan was like that, and why you're crying."

"I'm not -" Kira began, before Cassidy's finger gently traced the single tear running down her cheek.

"Kira."

Kira leaned in to her. "I'm not ...."

"What happened?" Cassidy asked, their foreheads now touching. The others unconsciously stepped back to grant them a semblance of privacy. Conner's fist clenched, unnoticed by all.

"I ... um, had a talk with Ethan."

"I gathered," Cass laughed softly. "Please tell me. I hate to see you cry."

"I ... um ... told him about my feelings," Kira said.

Cassidy's heart almost stopped. This couldn't have gotten any worse if someone was purposely trying to spite her. Kira and Ethan? "Your ... feelings?" she repeated slowly.

Kira nodded. "Yeah."

Cassidy couldn't meet her gaze any longer, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. "I had no idea you felt like that, Kira. I ... I can't believe Ethan would refuse you like that."

"Not feelings for him," Kira said hesitantly.

"Oh," Cassidy breathed, her heart already feeling like the tremendous weight on it had lifted. "But what .. ?" Kira gazed up at her, longing in her eyes. Cassidy gasped in surprise, her mouth widening in shock. "Me?" she squeaked.

Kira ducked her head in something like shame. Cassidy acted without thought, reaching out and catching Kira's chin with her finger. She lifted the smaller girl's head back to her eyeline. Tears began to streak down both their faces. "Oh Kira," she whispered so low it was almost inaudible. "I love you so much."

Kira sniffled. "I know," she whispered back. "I love you too."

They both leaned forward slowly, their lips tentatively meeting. An eternal moment passed, and the kiss deepened. It was like a floodgate had opened, and pain and jubilation and anticipation had all run together. They kissed like their lives depended on it, like they drew sustenance from the other.

Someone coughed at a great distance. They reluctantly broke apart, Cassidy still trying to catch Kira's lower lip in hers. The 5 of them turned towards Conner, his hands now clenched into balls of black steel.

"THIS?!" he cried. "This is why you drew apart from us? For HER?"

Trent, himself obviously flummoxed by what he'd just seen, grabbed at the armored teen's arm. Conner jerked away and tore down the opposite way. The girls unconsciously trembled, not completely certain what they had just done. Hayley and Dr. Smitty moved closer and consoled them as best they could.

* * *

These had been Zeltrax's quarters once, Tori decided. The room was utilitarian and adorned with almost no decorations of any sort. Aside from a few penciled schematics in an empty dresser drawer and a voodoo doll with Dr. Smith's face affixed to it, they hadn't seen a single personal adornment since taking residence here. The bed, fortunately, had no unusual grooves or divets in the mattress.

Cam mumbled in his sleep, almost curling up in the fetal position. She rubbed his back for a moment. It had been such a hard day for them both, but Cam's double shifts in the sickbay had nearly killed him. Tori had finally been forced to bodily remove him from a patient. She was thankful Blake had been there in case Cam resisted.

Blake. She hadn't seen him since they'd broken up last year. She still regretted the way she'd ended that relationship, even if she wouldn't have traded her life with Cam for anything. Blake had always seemed cordial in his correspondence with them, and Tori supposed there was nothing which kept them from remaining friends, but it wasn't an avenue of thought her sleep adled brain was prepared to stroll down.

Her mind returned to her friends on the other island. Sticking them there until they could sort things out had been a desperation move on Dr. Smith's part, but it wasn't like they could do anything else. They only had so many hands to operate everything on Mesogog's base, and the last thing they needed was a group of ornery Rangers breaking out and making things worse.

She hadn't seen Hunter in as long as Blake. Shane and Dustin had put in an appearance over Christmas for about an hour before ninja streaking back to their own families, but it had been tense. At least tense with Shane. She wasn't clear if Dustin picked up on the subtleties between the Wind Sensei and Cam. Knowing what Lothor did to them made her stomach turn in knots.

She was grateful she'd left the academy when she did. She had no regrets. This last year of traveling the country and helping people, living off the money they'd earned doing odd jobs and the good will of others, it had shown her more of what it was like to live than all the ninja studies in the world.

She just wished she could have been there when her friends were taken. Maybe she could have done something to stop it.

She wanted to kill Lothor, and she expected the feeling was mutual. What had been done to Sensei especially was such a primal violation. There was no reaching out to the man that had once been Sensei's brother, she knew that now. Cam probably knew it too, and she had no idea what he'd make of that. Could he look his uncle in the eye when it came time for the killing blow? With what family meant to him?

With a tiny sigh of frustration she tucked the sheets up to her neck and spooned tightly against Cam's already curled form. There was a long day ahead, and who knew when the next chance to get some sleep - or feel one another - would be.

* * *

Conner bolted out one of the emergency exits from the lab, emerging in the thick jungle. He marched through what little clearing there was to a small babbling brook and sat next to the water. He unfastened his helmet, placing it beside him, and leaned over to catch a drink in his hand. His reflection stared up at him, the black armor offset by the dried red of ...

The blood. Oh God, the blood. In a rush it was all over him, and the bodies ... all those ninjas laid out had Eric's face. Eric, who trusted him. Eric expected Conner to look out for him, and he'd failed. Mesogog had made Eric a pawn in another one of his schemes, and Conner had gone right along with his life by stealing Eric's.

He wasn't a brother. He was barely a person. Why hadn't he felt it until now? He'd instinctively known what had happened, but why hadn't it seemed real? Why did feeling any emotion that wasn't anger become harder and harder with each passing day?

Why did it feel so right when his sword sank into the flesh of those ninjas?

Conner slumped forward, his face slipping into the shockingly cold water. It would be so easy to let go. They'd never miss him. He'd barely miss himself at this rate. Would that be right? Would that be justice? Would that give back everything he'd taken away? He felt his lungs begin to burn with need, and began to take in a mouthful of the water.

"- NER!!"

He wheezed as he was pulled back to dry land, and through the spots in his eyes he could just barely make out Trent hovering above him, concern evident. "Conner, what were you thinking?"

"I wasn't. I was just kind of going on instinct. The kind of instinct that leads me to nearly massacre a bunch of people that were only under a spell. Maybe they wanted to kill us, but were supposed too be above that."

"You can fight it. I know you," Trent insisted. "Suicide isn't the answer."

"Don't you get it?!" Conner exploded. "It's not like that anymore! This armor, this stuff Mesogog wired into my brain! I can barely function as myself anymore!"

"You've never been yourself for as long as I've known you!" Trent countered. "Mesogog always had something over you, but what made you special was that you never gave in!"

The words came out in a rush. "My brother is dead! He's dead and I'm stuck wearing his skin! Only it's not even skin, because I didn't do a good enough job protecting him, so he became Zeltrax! Only now I have to spend the rest of my natural life in this freak body, and that's not enough penance! it's changing me, changing who I am!"

"Conner, this is survivor's guilt. You're under a lot of stress and you're part of one of the most highly developed killing machines on Earth. If you don't maintain control you will start slipping into the routines built into the armor," Trent said reasonably.

"I have to die," Conner said calmly. "If I die, it all gets solved. I can't repay my debt through actions, I'll just make it worse. The only solution is death."

Trent's brow furrowed. "I won't let you kill yourself, Conner."

Conner rematerialized his helmet. "Then I guess you're going to have to do it for me."

Trent shook his head. "I won't fight you."

Conner loosed a blast of laser fire, forcing the White Ranger to take cover. He rematerialized both his weapons, throwing the sword near Trent's feet. "You don't have a choice. Besides, you can call it self defense."

Trent morphed, rolling across the ground and snatching up the sword. He threw it back to Conner, who caught it effortlessly. "Don't you get it? This isn't the solution!"

Conner shot at the ground beneath his feet, and the White Ranger shifted positions. The armored teen charged him, his axe swinging with deadly intent. Trent, acting purely on instinct, unsheathed his Dragosword and knocked the weapon from Conner's hand before ducking away from the charge. They both spun around, facing one another.

"It's what you always wanted, isn't it? Me dead at your hand? Everything Mesogog represents without the love you have for your father attached? Well COME AND GET IT, THEN!" Conner yelled.

With a ferocious roar the White Ranger knocked him to the ground, hammering away at the snaps connecting Conner's helmet to his torso with the Dragosword. Real panic began to gnaw away at Conner's gut. Was this the same ignominous way Eddie Payne had died? Was Trent drawing it out in retaliation for months of humiliation at Conner's hand? Did he really want to die at all?

When the final snap was disconnected Trent tore the helmet from Conner's head before slumping in resignation. "This isn't about Eric, Conner, though that was going to come out eventually. This isn't even about us. This is about Kira. You lost the prize you were holding out for, your motivation for being."

Conner looked up defiantly. "So what if I did? I can't deal with this, Trent! We're both losing everything, and Kira doesn't want us anymore! She wants CASSIDY!"

"We weren't in charge of what Kira wants or doesn't want. Be grateful she's still our friend, I know I am. Whatever makes Kira happy will only make her a better friend to us," Trent said. "Conner, I can't know how their relationship will pan out. I don't know that one day one of us won't end up with Kira again, for that matter. All I know is, you have to take the big changes as they come. You can't live your life on what's going to happen or what might happen, or what is actually happening doesn't even matter."

"I'm not worth loving, Trent," Conner said as he laid his head against the cool grass. "There's nothing I can give someone that's not nullified by everything that comes with me."

Trent stared down at him for a long moment, obviously deliberating something. A part of Conner's heart sank at the thought it was taking this long for Trent to think of a counterargument, though his head sang with joy. He really was more trouble than he was worth. Trent sighed heavily and pulled himself off of Conner's chest. He reached down and pulled the armored teen back to his feet a moment later.

"Believe what you want," the White Ranger sighed heavily. "Obviously your common sense isn't working anymore."

He demorphed in a flash, still holding Conner's hand. "Come on, let's get you back inside. Everything will look better in the morning, I promise. Not good, but better."

Conner, in spite of himself, followed him.


	6. part 6

Disclaimer: see part 1

Author's notes: Thanks once more to Nalan for her beta work, and thanks for Estirose for letting me steal a gag : )

The Tempest

by Smittysgirl

Ethan felt marginally better in the morning. Marginally better still meant he felt betrayed, scared, ashamed, and more than a little disappointed in everyone he knew, but it was still an improvement over how he'd gone to bed.

Dr. Smitty had come into his makeshift quarters at what Ethan supposed was twelve midnight, looking like a zombie and apparently ready to console the heartbroken Blue Ranger until he was no longer explosively irate. One look at the older man and Ethan had quickly shooed him back to his own bed. No matter how bad Ethan's life was, nothing could compare to the strain Dr. Smitty and Hayley had to be under.

This was why he had lost Cassidy? This is why Kira had shut down around everyone? His gut tightened at the thought of them together, even though Kira was adamant there was nothing between them - nothing even spoken, she insisted. His heart raced. He tried humming songs to himself, but every tune he could think of somehow correlated to her. Every good memory he had of his friendship with Kira or his relationship with Cassidy somehow inevitably led back to the image of them together, and he winced.

Ethan hadn't had a lot of experience in relationships. He had the pick of the litter in his nerd clique, and while that might have been intoxicating for some, the Morgan Webb's of the world didn't do much for him. Ethan, frankly, didn't like most people the way he liked computers. He'd even been known to flush years long web relationships if a social meeting went horribly.

He grabbed a quick shower in his private bathroom, impressed to see the amount of amenities Mesogog had included - among which included prepackaged mud packs, which he supposed might be a necessity for creatures with no sweat glands. Sadly, no razor anywhere. He nearly crackled a smile at the girls being in similar straits before the realization of who those girls were made him wince again.

How long was this going to hurt? He had no frame of reference. Was it like a cold, did he just need to drink fluids and stay off his feet for a couple days? Was it like a cancerous growth, inching its way into every part of him until he fell into toxic shock?

With a final sigh, Ethan threw his sweaty clothes from yesterday back on and trudged back towards the main laboratory. He really needed a project to tackle right now.

* * *

A beautiful morning had risen over the pacific island the three Ninja Storm Rangers called their current place of residence, but none of them paid it mind beyond being a period of wakefulness. They'd fallen into a classic military regiment with their arrival here, each taking a shift guarding the others as they slept.

After spending their first day on the island attempting to find food and shelter (neither encouraging), Shane had demanded they organize a variety of methods by which to escape the force field that surrounded them. They had only noticed the field was there after Dustin's attempt to ninja streak back to Mesogog's base had smacked into the 'roof' above them.

Shane drew a small diagram of the island in the sand, noting the barrier and ocean accordingly. "There must be some way we can manipulate the tides and just walk our way out of here. Dustin, could you - "

"That's not my expertise, dude," Dustin said. "I'm the dirt guy, Tori was the water one."

Hunter shook his head at the question he knew was coming. "I don't think there's any chance of blasting our way through the barrier, either. I might be able to with my element power, but I'd probably burn us all to a crisp trying it."

Shane grimaced. "Dustin, try and go down into the mantle underneath the ocean. There has to be some way for us to get off this rock."

"Whoa dude, just hold up there for a sec. You want me to build you a land bridge? Across the ocean? I'm not even totally sure where we are, and I know my ninja powers aren't up to that level even if I did!"

The Red Ranger marched across the beach and stood in the Yellow Ranger's face. "Right now I don't care whether this kills you or not. Hunter's way kills all of us if it backfires, and that won't do Master Lothor any good at all, now will it?"

"Hey guys," Hunter said nervously, "all we probably have to do is defeat the barrier. Lothor's got to be looking for us by now, especially after what those poser Rangers did. Once he can detect us we'll be all set."

Shane broke his staring contest with Dustin a moment later. "Fine. Let's try and figure a way to defeat the forcefield."

An enormous hand made of sand and other loose debris burst out from the ground, squeezing the Red Ranger's midsection and knocking the breath out of him. Dustin grimace. "I am TRIED of being ordered around like this! You might be our leader, but you're not our boss! I don't know what Master Lothor uncorked in you, but I don't like it!"

" ... mutiny ..." Shane rasped.

Hunter waved a finger at him. "You call what we're doing mutiny? How do we know you haven't gone behind our backs and sewn some seeds with Lothor? You still have a loyalty to your teammates, Shane."

The sky split above them, and a concentrated cyclone tore the fist apart as Shane was safely protected in the funnel's center. The wind sensei landed in a crouching position, his face set and determined. "Loyalty, huh? Let's just see about that.

* * *

Kira awoke feeling the most refreshed she'd felt since - since the last time she'd slept beside Cassidy.

They'd finally been ushered to their own quarters after Conner's outburst, only to find neither was much use sleeping on their own. Worried about misconceptions, both had made a point to bring her own pair of sheets when laying down togeher, but those boundaries had quickly dissolved as they slept. They'd balled together like children half their ages.

Kira considering untangling from her friend's embrace so she could freshen up, but finally settled for nudging her gently. Cassidy's eyes fluttered open, and they shared a long smile. There was nothing hanging between them any more.

"Hey," Kira whispered.

"Hey yourself," Cass said.

"Did you want to go scrounge up something to eat? I don't know what Mesogeek has for a galley, but I bet there's something somewhere," Kira offered.

Cass made a face, and Kira giggled. "I'd just as soon starve myself as eat what that monstrosity called food."

Another silence passed, and Cass reached out to caress Kira's cheek. "I can't believe all of this is actually happening. I can't believe you're here."

"I know," Kira breathed. "The only reason I know I'm not dreaming is because I feel like I finally got a good night's rest."

She leaned forward, softly kissing Cassidy on the forehead. She kept moving down, her lips brushing Cassidy's fluttering eyelid for a moment before finally touching her lips. They both recoiled at the mutual morning breath, and a second later began to laugh.

"Come on," Cass laughed, "let's try and make ourselves a little less disgusting."

* * *

Trent stood in profile, leaning in the doorway to what had once been his room. Inside he watched as Conner shifted and moaned in his sleep, the curvature and sharp angles of the Zeltrax armor knocking sheets and pillows askew as he did. Trent's heart fluttered. He and Conner had their share of differences in the past, but right now they were closer in terms of sheer experience than any normal men could be.

What was he it wanted out of all this? A part of him still seethed at his treatment at the other boy's hands. A part of him didn't understand why any sane person would invite the possibility for being hurt again.

Trent didn't know. He didn't even know if he wanted to know. He was so tired. Emotionally as much as physically.

He sat down. So much had happened.He hated Mesogog for what he had done. He hated himself for not saving his father from this sooner. He hated himself for what had happened in that warehouse, when an attempt to spare a life had -

Trent shivered uncontrollably.

Why hadn't he drowned himself when he'd had a chance? He still remembered the night it all began. The voice, the perverse _other_ that haunted him. Though it had disappeared when he embraced the gem's brainwashing, a part of Trent always felt its presence within him like a malignant tumor.

He slammed a fist softly into to doorjamb. His father was dead or nearly dead, and he was cursed. Cursed with the white Gem. He tore his bracelet off in a fit of rage and tossed it randomly.

"Careful!" came a modest voice from behind him. Trent turned around carefully, surprised to see Blake holding the bracelet with some wry amusement on his face. "You can put people's eyes out with this."

Trent sighed. The Navy Ranger knelt down across from him. "Something troubling you?"

"I was just thinking of how much hell we'd been through lately."

Blake nodded. "I know a little something about that," He shot a glance at Conner sawing logs in the most literal sense. It sounded like a chainsaw. "Then again, I can't say I've seen anything on par with you guys."

"This used to be my quarters, once upon a time," Trent confessed.

Blake nodded in contemplation. "So you were the White Ranger that worked for Mesogog? That had to be rough on you."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Trent said.

Blake bit his lip. "You know, my brother and I? We were under Lothor's control twice. I've got some experience with this, if you ever need to talk."

Trent nodded, keeping an eye on his sleeping teammate. "Not much to talk about."

Blake nodded in turn. "Thought you might say that. Just giving you the option. You wanna head upstairs and see what the genius brigade have whipped up?"

Trent looked at him vacantly. Blake grimaced, gripping the White Ranger by the shoulder. Trent fought the instinct in him to flee. "The laboritory. Trent, how much have you slept?"

"Um?" He honestly couldn't remember anymore. Why was the past so crystal clear now, and the present so cloudy?

Blake nodded towards the sleeping figure of Conner. "Come on, let's get out of here for his sake. You can get the skinny and then take a breather yourself. That sound good?"

"I'll just stay here," Trent said, feeling suddenly safe in his former quarters. Or right on their peripherals.

"Trent," Blake sighed, "you can't burden Conner like that. Especially not after last night. You both need some space to unwind."

Trent took a deep breath and looked at Conner.

"Trent."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Trent huffed.

Blake patted him on the back. "It'll be good for you to see some people."

"Right," Trent muttered, but followed the elder Rager.

* * *

Lothor didn't like the way this day was shaping up one bit. He hadn't made contact with his Rangers since their skirmish with the Dino Thunder team - and since when had they been invited to the party, anyway?

His plan to bring about the destruction of the ninja academies had proceeded unencumbered, which was a distinct change from the usual methods employed by his former generals. He'd even left behind that brother of his as a memento for Cam.

Cam. Lothor drew a sharp breath. His nephew was the greatest obstacle in his attempts at universal domination, especially with the others disposed of. Tori and Blake he could accept as minor problems, but Cam - whatever part of Lothor had once been Kia Watanabe felt kinship to the boy. Turning him against the current Rangers would be the prefered course of action. He would be a great asset to Lothor's new evil ninja empire.

That meant separating him from the others. That also meant he needed to get his own foot soldiers returned to him unharmed - and without their conditoning removed. With a flick of his wrist a view screen opened in the middle of the room. A young woman in a thunder academy sensei uniform nodded. "Greetings, Master. Lothor."

"Ah'm not in the mood to trifle, Leann. Fell me something I'd like to hear."

She nodded curtly. "Very well. Construction on your craft is proceeding swiftly. In addition we have begun to enlist the aid of some heavy industry employees. You needn't worry, we've taken every procaution when enthralling them. Equipment will be written off, and no paper trail will lead back to the project."

"Excellent. The sooner we're off this planet the better. There's somethin' about this place, I can feel it in mah bones. There isn't a tyrant in the universe that's safe here."

Leann's face quirked. "If I may be so bold, master, why did you remain here at all if you knew this to be so? Surely your revenge would have been attainable from afar, perhaps using intermediaries to -"

Her sentence was interrupted as her wind pipe shut. Lothor glowered across the monitor, unclenching his hand and releasing her a moment later. "You may not be so bold, Ms. Omino. Ah'll thank you to ask for real next time."

"Of - of course, sire."

* * *

The Navy and White Rangers piled into the laboratory to find most of their teams had already staked out a place and were hard at work on something. Ethan, to everyone's pleasant surprise, actually seemed cordial. The absence of the two teenage girls from the Dino Thunder twam might have contribured to that however.

"Conner stayed in bed," Trent supplied quietly to their mentor. "He had kind of a rough night, and I had to talk him down. I thought it best if we didn't wake him."

Terrance nodded. "Good thinking, Trent. The last thing any of us need is more hostilities at the moment."

"Please tell me," Devin yawned, "you guys have found something that's going to make today a little easier for us all."

"Yeah," Cam started. "I think we might have a way to solve one of our major problems right off the bat."

Hayley nodded. "We may be able to separate Anton from Mesogog. Using the modifications to the lifeforce extractor Mesogog had made before Conner's - accident, and some of Cam's own equipment to replace the lost or damaged components, I believe it may be possible to isolate the human elements of Anton Mercer and reconstitute them in the Genome Randomizer."

"Which we've nearly completed repairs on," Ethan chimed. "We just need to grab three tissue samples from the good doctor to make sure nothing gets bungled up."

"Which means ...?" Blake asked calmly. Next to him Trent pumped his fist.

"It means we can finally kill Mesogog," Terrance said with a hardness none of his pupils could remember hearing from him. "Once we're sure Anton survived the process in one piece, we can finally put all of this behind us."

"At least the big parts," Devin added. "There's still Lothor and those ninjas we've got stitched up downstairs and the other Rangers and I really should just shut up now while we're feeling good about our successes, shouldn"t I?"

Hayley nodded softly.

"Let's get started, people," Terrance supplied.

* * *

Marah kind of enjoyed regular school for a change. It was better than the ninja academy, and infinitely better than evil alien high school. if this kind of social environment and curriculum were the norm for girls her age, then she was amazed Cassidy would ever want to leave.

As she filtered out of English Lit she was besieged by a brown haired girl with strong, regal features. "Cassidy!" she wheezed, clearly winded. Marah whapped her on the back and the girl coughed for a moment. "Thank you."

Marianne, the voice in her head supplied. Marah had quickly gotten used to the cliff notes for social interaction. it certainly beat claiming residual brainwashing for her partial amnesia. "Hey Marianne. What's going on?"

"Have you seen ANYBODY?" she asked.

Marah looked around in confusion. "Unless somebody put an invisibility spell over the city, I see lots of people."

Marianne's face darkened. It was evident from the bags under her eyes she hadn't been sleeping well for a long time. "Cass, this is serious. That bastard Mesogog killed Eric, and now everybody except you has taken off. Conner, Ethan, Kira, Devin, Trent - even Hayley, Dr. Smitty, and Dr. Mercer! Then you show up right next to Eric's body after an attack by Elsa, given a Hearst snowjob? I need ANSWERS!"

Marah frowned. She could sense this girl's love for Eric coming off her in waves, and it turned Marah's stomach to see how deep his death had hurt her. "I wish I could help. I was hoping to get some time in with Principal Randall later today - she's the last person known to have seen Anton Mercer."

"Good luck with that," Marianne snorted. "Randall's not speaking to anyone, not even the police. Says they need to be able to pin her to something, and right now her record is squeaky clean. There's nothing to nail the bitch on. Mercer Industries' board of directors is doing flips right now."

Marah made a sour face. 'That's unfair. Gosh Marianne, I wish there was something I could do for you. Everything's been so insane, and there's days I hardly even feel like myself anymore."

_So not a lie. So, so not a lie_.

Marianne sighed, clutching her book bag to her midsection. "Eric's gone. I mean, I'd known him for almost forever, but I'd never seen this side of him until recently. It came so close to when we'd gotten involved I thought for a while it was me, now I don't know what to think. I owe it to him to find out what caused his death. I'll sleep better knowing it."

"You are taking this really well," Marah ventured softly. She wasn't the best at comforting others, and her deficiencies were becoming obvious to herself. "Way better than anybody else I've seen."

Marianne shrugged. "My brother in law died working construction during Diceotron's first attack. I'm not going to lie, living in a city like this you get accustomed to weirdness. You just try and gather up your wits and make do with what you have. It got easier to put a face on things when Tyler died."

The class bell rang, and fires seemed to light underneath each of the students. The other girl smiled awkwardly. "Anyway, I'm sorry to go after you like that. If you need any help with your investigative work, you know where to look me up."

Marah nodded enthusiastically. "I'll be taking you up on that, count it."

_Especially with Devin gone_.

"Oh, and your hair looks great like this!" Marianne called over her shoulder as she headed into Dr. Mercer's – now Dr. Morton's – class.

"Thanks!" Marah said, fluffing her locks again. "I'm totally thinking about trying red."

* * *

Kira and Cassidy had piled into what they presumed was Mesogog's commissary after much pressure on Kira's part, and circumspect advice from Hayley over Kira's communicator that perhaps their services would be more appreciated somewhere that didn't have Ethan currently waist deep in vital circuitry. Dr. T promised to catch them both up once he was confident Ethan hadn't endangered Dr. Mercer's life - a statement which had raised more questions for the girls than it answered.

To their surprise Devin had left behind an assortment of tropical fruits that grew outside in a large bowl. He'd also descended on Mesogog's arboreum and snatched up everything that hadn't been crossbred for toxicity. His note, thoughtfully left behind for those Rangers that had slept in late, noted that he and Tori had already fed the few cognizent ninja students in sickbay.

Kira dubiously inspected something that looked like a bloated orange mango. "What is this? Also, can we trust Devin's ability to tell if something will kill you? I think Mesogog gene sequenced some of these."

"It's a pawpaw. You can eat it. My mom used to grow them when she lived in Ohio."

Cassidy picked up what looked like a small green coconut. "This is a breadfruit. This is indigenous to the pacific islands. Hawaiians used to live on this stuff."

Kira struggled with opening the potato like skin with her fingers before simply morphing and chopping it into quarters with her sword. She demorphed and returned to her seat. "Your mom was a botanist?"

Cass shook her head. "My grandfather was. Mom got into it as a hobby. She really stopped doing much when we moved to Reefside. Daddy felt she needed to focus more on keeping up appearances - houses don't run themselves and we're not rich enough to have maids."

Kira nodded, taking a bite of the fruit. Alicia Cornell was something of a local terror when it came to appearances. Last year's Christmas pageant was a nightmare of flash and spectacle. Kira's own acoustic performance of several Christmas standards had gotten a warm reception, but the bands, dancers, and lighting technicians Mrs. Cornell employed completely knocked everyone else out of the spotlight.

Kira wasn't sure she wanted to imagine that kind of fervor put towards any kind of a hobby – not unless she was putting together an evil army like Mesogog.

With a pressurized whoosh Conner stumbled into the galley. He looked at the girls with a general expression on his face, and snatched a couple of apples from the bowl. Cassidy cautiously waved hello, and Conner waved back.

"Morning girls," he rumbled. That was – different, they both reflected in a quick glance. They'd never heard the Zeltrax voice come out of Conner's mouth without the helmet on. Cassidy had frankly assumed the vocal modulator was a part _of_ the helmet.

"Hey Conner," Kira said simply. It was nice to know at least somebody wasn't overreacting anymore. Maybe her friendship with him could be salvaged after all. With all the stuff Conner had had to deal with, was it any surprise he was so prone to blow outs now and again?

The armored teen sat down at the far end of Cassidy's side of the booth, happily chomping away on the fruit. They all concentrated on eating in their silence, none wanting to admit how badly they had neglected themselves the days prior. Conner cautiously eyed the apple cores and stems he left behind, experimentally biting into one. The girls winced, and Conner shrugged.

"Can'urt me annymorr," he mumbled. Cassidy grabbed another breadfruit and rolled it down to his end. He grabbed it in one of his hands and began to chomp away just like the apples he had just eaten.

They really needed to find a way to get Conner back to normal. Last week if possible.


	7. chapter 7

Disclaimer in part 1

Author's note: Thanks again to Nalan and someone anonymous who knows who they are : )

The Tempest  
by Smittysgirl

The time for their plan had almost come to fruition.

The fallen Ninja Storm Rangers had brawled for much of the morning before an uneasy truce was declared – when given a clance for clearer heads to prevail, all had realized Lothor would gladly kill all of them for sacrificing even one.

After reconvening, a slightly more democratic group had worked out a procedure they believed would again render themselves detectable to Lothor. Hunter and Shane would generate a massive tropical storm to buffet the forcefield with gale force winds and lightning strikes, all the while being pelted by turbulent tides. On the island Dustin would upend the small area of land they were situated on, partially collapsing the trees and turf around them and hopefully protecting them from the worst of the shield's backlash as it collapsed.

It wasn't a perfect plan, and their potential to still be killed remained, but it was a plan less likely to draw the ire of Lord Lothor. Shane drew in a long breath of the salty air as the sun began to set behind the heavy clouds on the horizon. The weather lately had been unstable. Fortunately for them. Even with his and Hunter's elemental mastery, he doubted either would have been able to whip up a sizable storm under their own power.

* * *

Trent regarded the complicated contraptions strapped to his father warily. "Are we positive this stuff is going to hold together?"

"Trent," the older man reached out through his medicated haze, gripping the teen's hand. "Please. I need this. It's - it's the only way."

"Dad, are you sure?" Trent asked. "There's still other procedures. We could even place you in susp -"

"Trent," Dr. Mercer said patiently, "I'm sorry all this has happened for you. This is to make both our lives better, don't yuo see?"

Cam put a hand on Trent's shoulder. "I promise we've done everything we can to ensure your father is safe. The process should only take a few minutes, if all goes accordingly."

Trent turned to face him, never letting go of his father's hand. "And what if it doesn't?

Hayley nodded slowly. "There's a possibility of that. However, in that eventuality we can reverse the lifeforce extractor and put Anton's life energies back in his body."

Dr. T came up beside her. "We can try again later if we have to ..."

"My body isn't going to last much longer as a human," Dr. Mercer wheezed. Trent clenched tighter.

Conner finally pulled Trent from his father's grip. "I guess I'm not anyone to talk, but you have to let go a little, man. Anything can happen, but you already know what's going to happen if Mesogog is left in your dad like this."

Trent nodded. "I know."

Dr. Mercer motioned for the two mentors of the Dino Thunder team to come closer. They did. "Hayley, Terrance - if I don't make it out of this, tell me you'll look after Trent. The boy is hanging on by a thread."

"We will," Terrance whispered.

The assembled heroes stood back as the machine was lowered, the siphon pressed into the man's chest. Dr. Mercer wheezed as a pink and blue energy field began to rise from his body, shooting up the length of the device.

"Contact is good," Ethan called from a console.

"The flow is steady," Cam continued from another.

Trent tensed. Why didn't anyone understand? That was his father lying there! Maybe they could be clinically detached, but he couldn't Without his father there was nothing left in this world for Trent to live for.

The body screamed, its features beginning to contort into the hideous form of Mesogog. The energized restraints keeping him held down to the table began to whine.

"We almost have it!" Hayley yelled from her console. "Someone sedate him! We can't start the cloning until we have every last bit of him!"

"Dad!" Trent called, struggling to move beside him. Conner slipped an arm around his waist and dragged him back to position. Cassidy hit a button on her console, and a hyberbolic needle popped out from beneath the extractor, pricking Dr. Mercer in his side. A moment later his thrashing began to subsist, and the lifeforce flow resumed.

"Come on, Anton," Terrance muttered. Conner continued to hold a struggling Trent.

"We have it!" Hayley cheered. The cylinder attached to the extractor now pulsated with the multihued energies they'd pulled from Dr. Mercer's body, and Trent took a moment to admire the visible presence of his father's soul. With a sudden, violent siezure the scientist's body fully transformed into Mesogog, still sluggishly pulling at his restraints. From behind the 3 genetic inputs were raised into position, and the Genome Randomizer began to activate.

"Preparing transfer," Cam supplied. The cyninder shifted positions, and its power flowed through a long fiberoptic cable into the top of the unit. Mist and energy filled the chamber. In a sudden burst of light, the process shut down and a human figure stumbled through the pressurized doors. A very haggard and very naked Dr. Anton Mercer. Trent laughed, breaking out of Conner's arms and hugging his father before Devin provided him with a blanket.

"That's weird," Dr. Smitty said from his console. "There's this really intense stor - "

With a chirp, everything electronic in the lab shut down. A second later Mesogog's restraints faded to black.

* * *

Marah leaned against her - Cassidy's - locker and sighed. Marianne was scheduled to show up pretty soon, and she'd never been very good at waiting. It would have been nice to have some ninja flunkies to boss around right now.

She had met up again with Marianne that day after school, and they'd worked out what they they thought was a workable plan to get access to Principal Randall. Cassidy's parents had some reservations about Marah staying over with someone - apparently she'd taken to visiting Kira right before the mass vanishing, but Marah promised to keep in touch with them over her cell phone.

She was still unclear on how to visit Kapri tonight without attracting undue attention, so she hoped her sister could muddle along for another couple of days without her.

"So, are you ready?" Marianne asked, coming up from behind her and causing her to jump slightly.

"I think so," Marah admitted, brushing her hair back. "I really feel sort of bad doing this, even though I know Randall is a real jerk."

"Hey, we wouldn't be doing this is we didn't have a reason," Marianne answered.

The former ninja nodded, and the two brushed their way into Randall's office. Her secretary looked up. "Miss Cornell. Miss Chandler. I don't believe either of you have appointments today?"

Marah studied the secretery carefully. "Hey, you're not really there!"

Marianne looked at her in surprise. This wasn't the plan they had agreed on at all. "Cass?"

"She's not there! She's a projection!" Marah started looking around for the source of the secretary's energy.

"Stop it right now missy!" the normally quiet and distant secretary squeaked. She made a move to grab Marah's wrist, but the former ninja brushed her aside and dug around some of the storage lockers.

"Oooh," Marah said, holding up a device underneath some confiscated personal items from students. "I knew you were so totally unreal!"

The secretary's eyes widened as Marah fiddled with the controls. "PRI -"

In a wink, the projection dissolved. Marah beamed, pocketing the device in her jacket. "See? You just have to know how to deal with people."

"I... I guess so," Marianne said, wide eyed.

"So, let's go and find what happened to Eric and the others before the principal finds we derezzed her secretery," Marah told her.

The lightly rapped on the door to Randall's personal office. No response, though it was plain behind the frosted glass that someone was inside.

"Maybe she has a secret knock?" Marianne asked, still confused by what she'd seen.

Marah shrugged, stepping back and knocking the door off its hinges with a kick she'd learned from Uncle Sensei. Randall looked up from her desk, panic evident. "We want some answers!" Marah yelled with a strength she didn't feel. "Hey - wait, haven't I seen you somewhere?"

"I would hope so," Pricipal Randall said, rapidly regaining an outward calm that barely covered her panicked veneer.

Marah's hand went to her mouth. "Ohmigosh, you're Elsa!"

The evil general quick switched to her villainous form. "Brilliant deduction, Cassidy. Now how about you tell me what's been going on with the Power Rangers?"

Marah blinked. "Lothor turned them evil, the last I heard."

"THE OTHER ONES!" Elsa screamed.

And suddenly it all made sense. Or more than it had been making before. The entire circle of friends that vanished along with Cassidy were the Dino Thunder Rangers and their respective attendants. She still couldn't place the action footage that featured one of Mesogog's other generals fighting beside the team, but that probably didn't matter.

Both teams of Power Rangers in the greater Reefside/Blue Bay were connected but for a single degree of separation. Eric McKnight, whose funeral was next week and whose brother was still unaccounted for.

"I need to know why I can't conjure up invisiportals anymore," Elsa pressed on. "What has Dr. Smith done to Lord Mesogog's fortress? Where is Lord Mesogog? I can't keep making excuses for Anton Mercer much longer!"

"Huh?" Marah managed.

She grabbed a ceremonial sword from the walls, morphing it into the blade both girls had seen Elsa use on the news. "I'm through playing games, Cassidy! Every single one of you has fallen off the face of the planet, and I'm cut off from my master!"

"What's going on?" Marianne demanded.

Marah shook her head. "I have no idea. I mean, what happened to the real Principal Randall? What are you doing here? And why do you think we would know?"

Randall scremed in frustration. "I've always been Susan Randall, you imbecile! I'd have thought Smith would have told all of you Rangers and hangers on once he found out - though maybe he just wanted to lord it over me too much to want to share. Wouldn't that be just like a man?"

Marah toppled backwards to the floor, and Elsa pressed the tip of her blade to the former ninja's throat.

* * *

Lightning lit the sky again and again, and torrential winds had begun to slip through the shield and were now sending debris flying through the air on the island. Dustin had already been forced to create natural wind breaks all along the path so they could continue to use their mojo just a while longer.

"Isn't this ENOUGH?" he screamed. Shane shook his head, apparently feeling the vibration of the words more than the sound.

"NOT NEARLY! There's no way a comm signal could get through this interference,we have to bring it DOWN!"

The Yellow Ranger shrugged, wishing desperately Shane would let them morph. At least that afforded some minimal protection from what they were doing. But even Hunter had agreed morphing only used up too much of their ninja energies, energies better spent pulling off this particular stunt.

* * *

Kapri was getting tired of jail. She'd understood the reasons for her to remain there, her sister had made it frank, but she was tired of the lack of mobility. The meal service also left a lot to be desired. She hadn't had a decent cup of french roast in forever.

The sheriff nodded at her as he opened the door into the jail area of the police station. She was getting sick of his face practically as much as she was these cramped little quarters. Behind him was a handsome young man in a yellow sport jacket. This guy looked really familiar, she bet she knew him from the academy!

"This the girl you were looking for?" the sheriff asked the young man.

He nodded. "She's the one. I shouldn't be here too long, don't worry. Anything to speed along the legal process."

The sherrif nodded. "She's all yours."

He marched out of the hallway, leaving them alone. Except for the couple of drunks on the opposite end, but she didn't count them as people. She leapt forward to the front of her cell. "Do I know you? Please tell me you escaped the purges."

The young man smiled. "You might say that."

"Can you get me out of here?" Kapri pleaded.

The young man smiled even wider. "Of course I can," he said with an easy confidence.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Kapri said, trying not to fall to her knees.

The young man carelessly waved a hand over in the direction of the jail entrance. "It's child's play."

The door open and the sheriff reappeared, carring his keys. "You're free to go, ma'am. Sorry for the misunderstanding."

Kapri backed away from them both. "Wait a minute."

"Don't look a gift mouse in the horse, m'dear," the young man said charmingly.

Kapri blinked in confusion. "Ohmygosh, only one person I know would use a metaphor like that."

The young man stepped into the cell, his form changing as he did. "Hello again, my niece. So wonderful to see you again."

"Uncle Lothor?" she asked.

"I see you've kept your wits about you. Now do y'all mind telling me where your sister made off to?" Lothor said.

"Well, it's like... they think she's somebody else and let her go a few days ago." She was sounding like Marah, babbling like that. With Uncle Lothor running about loose, she was entitled to babble a little bit.

Lothor grunted in exasperation. "Should'a know that'd come back to bite me on the keister. Ah don't suppose you know what happened to the girl they think she is?"

Kapri shook her head.

Lothor tilted his head briefly before his attention returned to Kapri. "It seems your sister will have to wait. You and I have business to attend to."

"Yes, Uncle Lothor?" she asked, thinking fast. She'd have to be careful... very careful.

"Seems mah dark Rangers have found a way out of their current predicament and require a lift back to base. A lift we'll be happy to provide, won't we?"

"Right, Uncle Lothor!" Kapri exclaimed, wondering about what in the heck was going on, but happy to be anywhere but jail.

Lothor snapped his fingers. "Oh right, before I forget," his hand reached out and pressed against her forehead. Dark energy shot into every iota of Kapri's being.

Kapri staggered.

"How do you feel?" Lothor bellowed.

The dark ninja bounced for a moment jubilantly.

Lothor smirked. "Thought you might need a pick me up. Ready to go help our partners in crime?"

"Just lead me there," she exclaimed. They vanished in a flash.


	8. part 8

Disclaimer in part 1

The Tempest  
by Smittysgirl

The Rangers were sprawled out on the beach, their ninja uniforms torn and burnt. Dustin choked on a mouthful of sand, spitting and coughing until he could breathe.

"Not your usual talkative self, are you?"

Dustin looked up, surprised to see a black boot. He looked up further, into the smiling face of Lothor. "My lord," he gasped. "I, um, apologize for my condition and everything. Shane and Hunter -"

Lothor shook his head. "No need. You've all done magnificently."

"Sire."

The two Red Rangers rose to their feet before dropping to their knees. Dustin saved himself the trouble and simply rose to one knee.

"What more can we do for you, lord Lothor?" Shane asked.

"Less than you'd imagine," the dark ninja admitted with a sigh. "At least today is shaping up better than yesterday. Ah think we can all be thankful for that."

A pink figure bounded out from behind a tree. The Rangers did a double take at Kapri in her evil space ninja attire. She smiled and waved.

"We've all had our share of interesting times," Lothor continued. "Right now we need to concentrate on finding Marah."

"Marah?" Hunter asked. "Permission to speak freely, lord?"

"Granted," Lothor said. 

"Why are we concentrating on Marah instead of the other Rangers? My brother in particular. Not that I am in any way questioning -"

Lothor made an annoyed clicking sound and the Crimson Ranger silenced. "There's a darn good reason we're pulling up our stakes and setting camp somewhere else. I'll tell y'all about it as soon as we're back at the mountain. Unless you boys have any further objections?"

There were none.

* * *

Devin marched down the corridors of Mesogog's fortress with a confidence he didn't feel and a poise he'd affected from hours of watching Dr. Smitty and Conner in similar situations. He hoped it didn't show too badly to Ethan and Blake.

There were 3 of these teams currently prowling the base, seeking out Mesogog while Hayley and Cam continued repairing the primary generators. It had been a small miracle that the tyrant lizard hadn't killed the naked and vulnerable Dr. Mercer as soon as he was released from his restraints, but Devin privately wondered if he had been too sedated to do anything other than flee.

"Anything on your end, Dr. T?" Ethan asked into his morpher.

"Negative," came the voice on the other end. "Tori's team said the same. Mesogog is good. Don't split your parties up unless absolutely necessary. Remember, our only strength is in numbers."

"Copy," he said, clicking off the line with a disgusted sigh.

After checking in several rooms, Blake tried to lighten the mood by inquiring about the team's personal lives. Both Dino Thunder Rangers provided dismissive answers - Devin would imagine for mostly the same reasons. He'd loved Cassidy since the moment they met, and had gladly taken her abuse for all that time on the distant hope she might one day acknowlege and validate his love for her. That she might find him worthy of her love, and rise above her own limitations through the transformative power of his affections.

Devin was still convinced the jury was out on the Easter Bunny, too.

It had been - maybe not OK, but at least understandable when she'd been with Ethan. The Blue and Red nee Triassic Rangers got along well enough, and Ethan had certainly accomplished what Devin had set out to do. Cass was improving as a person with each passing day, and it did Devin's heart good. Ethan had even taken the time to take Devin aside and discuss the other boy's feelings for Cassidy. Ethan wasn't blind, it seemed. Devin gave them his blessing without a second thought.

What did it say now that she was with Kira? How was Devin supposed to feel? He could imagine how Ethan was feeling pretty well, and maybe even Trent and Conner. Himself? Devin wasn't sure, and that scared him.

They cleared another hallway and piled into a lift to try the next level up. As soon the doors opened they saw a scaly figure dart into the nearest service entrance. The Rangers piled out after Mesogog in a rush, Blake already triggering his morpher to contact the others.

Devin's hand fell to his Dinolaser. He wouldn't be scared. He wouldn't be.

* * *

The Rangers and Kapri had taken seats around Lothor's throne upon their return to the Mountain of Lost Ninjas. A quick status update from Leann on the construction of the ship and they were ready to be let in on Marah suddenly becoming a priority.

"A'm sure you're wondering why I called you all in on that worthless niece of mine ...."

Kapri nodded mutely. Hunter snorted. Obviously she was about as considerate as Shane - come to think of it, Kapri was always like that.

"After being excommunicated from the academy, I was forced to wander the stars building my army. While on mah journeys I uncovered the demolished temple of Lothor on Tyrlik. Though I'd always known I was the prophecised Lothor, it never hurt to get some approval from the man himself!"

The three Ninjas listened in bleak fascination.

"Finally mah plans to destroy the academies was ready. The only sticking point were mah nieces in law. Though Kapri was controllable, Marah's potential both f'er power and f'er darkness ran through her like a vein of precious metal!"

"But Marah isn't like that, master," Hunter pointed out. "She's one of the most airheaded people I know."

Lothor nodded. "Indeed. I couldn't chance letting her get too close. I invoked the dark powers of Lothor, stripping her of her hatred and capacity for evil when she was still a small girl, an' found a suitable vessel for them on Earth should the need ever arise. Placed close, a viper ready to strike at the breast of the wind academy at a moment's notice."

"You're wise, master," Shane said, nodding.

"Why did you not use her, master?" Hunter asked incredulously. This was without a doubt one of his best plans.

Lothor grunted in remembrance. "Never had the chance to. I was too busy constructing mah army in accordance with the scroll's prophecy to plan out one of mah other contingencies. An' now I seem to have run into a snag."

"And that is, master?" Dustin asked dully.

"Ah can no longer detect the presence of Marah's doppleganger anywhere on Earth. Worse, it seems Marah has placed herself in the girl's life."

"So, you need us to retrieve her?" Hunter asked, cracking his knuckles.

"It's not that simple," Lothor said.

The Crimson Ranger sat back down, plainly disappointed.

"I don't think Marah's double is dead, but wherever she is she remains a threat to us. To me. A'm no believer in coincidences. Something is keeping her from us. We need to find Marah and her counterpart. They cannot be permitted to meet."

Shane looked thoughtful. "What do we know about this ... girl ... that is the doppelganger, master?"

"Her name is Cassidy Cornell. She's a reporter - not of any love of journalism or her fellow man, y'understand. She jus' likes the attention. I believe you'll all recall Marah's own forays into reporting."

The three Ninjas nodded simultaneously. More than once Dustin had even caught the girl delivering reports on chemical poisoning do to common household products in the utility closet, into a broom microphone.

"She's shallow and selfish. The very worst human vices to their maximum potential. There is nothing whatsoever redeemable about this girl. Trust me, you'll know her when you see her," Lothor said.

"So, where was she when you last knew her location, master?" Shane asked, ever practical.

"Reefside," Lothor snapped. "The same place she'd always been. I can't understand it, and a'm not sure I want to. Alls I know is, I need at least a couple of you out looking for her while the others concentrate on finding Marah!"

"Forgive the insolence, milord?" Hunter asked.

"Yes," Lothor snarled. "What?"

"What are we planning to do once we have them both? You said yourself they can't run into each other," he continued.

"A'm planning on returning Marah to what she once was," Lothor said. "Why not take advantage of her true nature?"

The ninjas shot a quick look between them, leading to a round of shrugging. It made sense. It would be nice not to have to deal with the current bubbleheaded Marah ever again, either.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Lothor demainded of his slaves. "Go and find her ... them!"

"SIRE!"

* * *

Not safe. Never safe. People everywhere. People and creatures, but not creatures like self. Creatures of metal and creatures of flesh. All of them wanting to hurt self.

He slid through a ventilation duct and made his way to what he believed was safety. His eyes were useless here, and he relied on pure instinct. After crossing several floors, he burst out into a small closet. The fiberous material covering his body itched, and he tore it off without a second thought. As he did his hand caught his eye.

Hand. Fingers and opposable thumb. Not right.

"Whaaaaaat am I?"

Language. Vocal communication in the form of arranged syllables within defined patterns. Not cries. Not song. Not right.

Mercer. That fool Mercer. The Rangers had succeeded in separating them at long last. Mesogog hissed. They didn't understand - as much as he hated Mercer, he needed the human's genetic structure in order to function. Mesogog's own higher thought processes were too complex for a purely reptilian brain. Without him he would continue to evolve along purely saurian lines.

Control. He needed control. Where had he brought himself to? He opened the hatch on the maintainence closet, and found himself situated near the master invisiportal control center. He smiled, forcing that part of him which still synthesized mammal and reptile in glorious union to take control. He could yet turn this to his advantage.

* * *

Countless thoughts came to Marah in the half second before Elsa was about to behead her. None of them ended up mattering as the world dissolved in green light, and the world dropped out from under her like in a falling nightmare.

"Off!" she screamed as a weight pressed on her and the ground resolidified.

"ELSSSSSA!" came a horrible voice.

The weight toppled off of her. "Yes, my lord?" Elsa asked as Marah's vision cleared.

The reptilian creature above them - Mesogog, Marah realized with a gasp - gripped Elsa's shoulder as his body shuddered. "We musssssst hurry. The Ran -ran - Rang ..."

"Right away, Lord Mesogog," Elsa finished, turning her attentions to the control panel nearby.

"Marianne?" Marah whispered while their attention was turned away from them.

"Cassidy? What's going on?" the other girl whispered back.

"Just stay low, this'll all make sense in a while," Marah lied. She hoped anyway. Maybe that wasn't lying. Marianne obliged, slipping behind one of the darkened, inoperative consoles.

Elsa finished typing in commands Mesogog rasped to her, and they both dissolved in another flash of green light before Marah could rise to her feet to try and stop them. That was probably for the best, even if the scaly guy wasn't looking too hot anymore. For what she knew of him anyway.

A Red and Blue Ranger came marching into the room, followed a second later by the Navy Ranger. Marah laughed jubiliantly, throwing herself into the arms of the Thunder Ranger. "BLAKE!" She jerked back suddenly. "Wait, you're not evil again or anything, are you?"

He laughed, pulling the former ninja student off himself. "I don't think so. What are you doing here, Marah? I thought Lothor got to you both!"

"Mesogog," the Blue Ranger said firmly. "Where did -" He turned to face her and continue his berating, only to cut himself off with a gurgle. He probably needed a mint.

"ItturnedoutthatourprincipalwasElsaandshewasgoingtokillusonlybeforethathappenedMesogog ...."

"Woah, woah, woah," Blake said. "Let's try that again with some pauses."

The Red Ranger joined the Blue in staring at her. It was making Marah uncomfortable, and she turned back to Blake in confusion. A second later 5 other Rangers and Zeltrax came tearing into the room. Marah laughed again, throwing herself at the Green Ranger. "COUS!"

Cam embraced her instinctively without thinking about who she was or why. He laughed. Tori nervously approached from behind, and Marah pulled her into their embrace as well. The remaining Dino Thunder Rangers took on expressions like their teammates. Yellow's hand went to the mouth of her helmet.

"What?" Marah asked. "Did you guys see a ghost or something?"

"M - M - Mesogog," Zeltrax stammered. "Where did he go?"

"He used the control thingie here to teleport out with Elsa."

"Thank you," the Black Ranger said as he and Blue stormed over to the controls. Zeltrax tore off his helmet in disgust. "I can't believe this! We were so close to finally getting Mesogoon, and he slips away with ELSA! It's like we're right back to square one."

Now it was Marah's turn to look on in shock. That face. That voice. That hair. "Eric?" she whispered, knowing it was impossible.

Zeltrax looked back at her, surprise on his face. "N - no, I ..."

A loud thunk opposite them turned everyone's attention to Marianne, crawling out of her hiding space. "Eric?" she gasped, her complexion ghost white.

"No," he tried again. "Well, I mean, this was ..."

A clattering in the hall drew their attention to two more women piling into the already cramped room. "We came as soon as we heard, Terr," the redhead said to the Black Ranger. Hayley. That had to be Hayley DeMatteis, Marah realized. The other needed no introductions.

Cassidy's mouth worked but no sound came out. Marah pulled herself out of Cam's arms and extended her hand. "You must be Cassidy Cornell. We really need to talk."


End file.
